Finding the Fourth Wall
by Quing of Everything
Summary: Thirty years have passed since Wall Maria was breached. Nowadays, everyone is living contently in Wall Sina. Until one day when the "Rock Titan" strikes, smashing right through the wall. Follow in Katrina Ayumi's footsteps as she works endlessly to discover an apparent fourth wall. Is it real, or is it just a myth? {bad summary} (does not follow manga cannon verse)
1. Prologue

**Hola ^^. I do not own or have any part in the creating of the amazing show Attack on Titan. Reviews are appreciated! FYI no, I do not read the manga...so if I'm insanely wrong about something then too bad :D! I do not own the cover picture.**

**Warnings: Violence (duh), coarse language, and minor suggestive themes (no actual skin-to-skin contact).**

_It has been thirty years since Wall Maria was broken. About twenty-five years since Wall Rose was breached. Since then, the Titan problem has decreased immensely. Now, every soul is safe in Wall Sina. Or so they assumed._

_Few, which turned into many, have reported sightings of what is known as the Rock Titan staring down at them from a hole in the wall. Also, nonstop banging sounds coming from the wall are heard every day. Some think the Titans are just getting fussy, while others believe it is the Rock Titan trying to break through._

_Either way, people are starting to get jumpy. The question now, as it has been before, is: are we really safe?_

**So short...It bothers me so much ;-;...UGH. If you don't like my prologue, too bad. If you do like it, awesome :D.**


	2. Chapter 1

**I am aware I have no reviews :D I am also aware that I posted this right after the prologue...so it wouldn't make sense if I had reviews before I posed this ^^.**

_Katrina's POV_

I knelt down on a roof not too high above the ground, watching the sea of people walking up and down the path. I pulled my black scarf up so it covered my nose, then put on my black gloves. Another day another dollar, they say. I know exactly what they mean. I spotted an elderly woman standing at one of the food stands and talking to the manager. I narrowed my eyes and pulled my legs from under me, sliding off of the roof silently. The soft breeze blew some of my brown hair in my face, forcing me to tuck it into my scarf. I watched as the woman took out her wallet and was slowly moving her hand to it to open it. Now's my chance. I bolted from where I was standing and in front of her, snatching her wallet as she stumbled backwards.

"Hey, stop! Thief!" I heard her yell. I couldn't help but snicker silently as I turned the corner and continued to flee to my home.

I arrived and tore the scarf and gloves off, throwing them into a pail next to the steps where I keep my thieving-gear. I ran up the steps and threw the door open, sighing loudly. I glanced inside to see my oldest brother, Calem, standing over the stove cooking something. He whipped his head around to see who I was. He scanned me, then narrowed his eyes.

"Katrina," he began, turning off the fire and walking up to me, "what's with your...attire?"

"What'dya mean?" I asked, laughing nervously. He glared at me with his big, dark blue eyes.

"What's behind your back?" he asked, crossing his arms. I groaned, throwing the wallet I stole at his chest. It bounced off and landed on the ground. He sighed, shaking his head. "How many times have I told you that stealing is wrong?"

"About one thousand. What's your point?"

"You're fourteen, you shouldn't be thieving. That's the point. Now get changed from those spy clothes and get ready for dinner. You'd better hurry, Robin's been bugging me about the food since I started making it. That means he'll wolf down most of it." My eyes widened and I ran to my room. I walked through the door and closed it, walking to my dresser and dug through my clothes to see if I could find something worn out to wear. There was a knock on my door.

"Kat?!" I heard my younger brother, Felix, ask. "Are you home? Did you get any money?"

"Yeah," I told him. "I'll tell you about it during dinner."

"Okay!" His footsteps indicated that he left. I got dressed quickly and threw my door open, running out as fast as I could. I got to the table and sat down, a look of satisfaction plastered on my face as I saw Robin just enter the kitchen.

"No fair!" he growled. "How'd you get here first, Kat?"

"It's called speed, Robin," I said, crossing my legs. "Deal with it." He clenched his fists, grabbing a seat across from me. "What's on the menu, Calem?"

"Bread and fish," Robin answered quickly, cutting Calem off. "I betcha I can eat more than you, Kat."

"It's on." I grinned.

"I'd like to see this! I'll judge!" Felix chirped, sitting next to me.

"What're the prizes?" Robin asked.

"If I win, you'll give me Mom's journal," I said.

"Pfft, whatever," he snickered, "I was going to give it to you for your birthday, anyway. If I win, I get to tell Calem about...you know." I gasped, narrowing my eyes.

"You're gonna lose, you know."

"Sure I will." Calem walked to the end of the table holding two plates of food and looked at Robin and me.

"If you make a mess, you clean it up. Got it, Robin?" he said, staring at him with a smirk.

"Aw, what?!" he gasped. "What about her?"

"You'll clean that up, too." He set the plates down. Robin and I instantly grabbed our forks and started shoving food into our mouths. I was about to eat my last piece of bread when I heard a satisfied sigh coming from my brother. I glanced at him to see his plate was clean. _No..._ I thought.

"Hey, Calem?" Robin said, grinning.

"No! Pleeeaase!" I whined.

"Guess what Katrina wants to do in a year or so?"

"Oh, God," he sighed, sitting down next to Robin and set a plate in front of Felix, then himself. "What?"

"Katrina, our little sister, wants to join the _Scout Regiment_!" Robin sneered. Calem glared at me, clenching his fists.

"He's lying!" I said, desperate to get my brother off of my back.

"No I'm not."

"Katrina!" Calem snarled. "You do know that those people get killed, right?"

"No duh," I snorted, crossing my arms. He ran a hand through his black hair and leaned back in his chair.

"You're not joining. It's too dangerous."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Actually, I can. Last time I checked, I was the only one keeping this bunch of siblings together and safe. I know what's best for you."

"No you don't!" I yelled, standing up. "You aren't me. You can't control me." I poked Felix's shoulder and motioned with my head to wait for me at the door. He nodded slowly and got up, walking towards the front door.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Calem asked, standing up as I grabbed my jacket.

"Out," I muttered opening the door and walking out. Felix followed me, the door slamming behind us.

**I feel like I must give more info on the characters...so I will :D. Calem Ayumi: Twenty years old, black hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin. Robin Ayumi: Eighteen years old, darker black hair, dark brown eyes, pale skin. Katrina Ayumi: Fourteen years old, long brown hair, green eyes, pale skin. Felix Ayumi: Thirteen years old, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin. Parents: Yuka &amp; Chris Ayumi. If you want traits or personalities then say so in PM or in a review. ON WITH THE STORY! :3 (This counts as a transition)**

"...Are you okay, Kat?" Felix asked me as we walked along the side of a path, avoiding the other people. I sighed, wrapping my arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah," I told him, smiling. "Calem is just so...you know?"

"Mhm." We laughed together. I heard a bell ring. I know what that means! The Survey Corps are back from their mission to reclaim Wall Rose!

"Did you hear that?" I gasped, turning to Felix.

"The bell?"

"Yeah! Let's go see the Survey Corps!" I said anxiously, grabbing his wrist and dragging him against his will with me to the gate. We finally made it after what felt like _forever_! I pushed through the crowd to get to the front, dragging my poor little Felix along for the ride. He tripped over something and fell onto the ground once I let him go. "Felix!" I gasped, kneeling down to see if he was okay. He pushed himself to his knees and brushed dirt and dust from his clothes.

"I'm okay."

"Sorry!"

"Don't worry about it." We both stood up and the Survey Corps started to walk down the path. There were more survivors than I expected there to be. I smiled wide, eyes enlarging as they past me. One woman with short black hair and a red scarf glanced at me, giving me a small smile before turning back to where she was going.

"Did you see that?!" I whispered to Felix. He glanced at me, then turned back to them.

"What?"

"One of them looked and smiled at me!" I saw him smile, eyes brightening, as he was facing them. I turned to see a blonde man with blue eyes looking at him. He and Felix looked similar. "Looks like we got lucky today, huh?"

**MIKASA AND ARMIN REFERENCE (This does NOT count as a transition)**

"Yeah!" Felix giggled. "You know, Kat, I wanna join the Scout Regiment, too!" My eyes widened and I froze. Felix wanted to do..._what_? I slowly turned to him, a look of horror staining my face. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't want me joining!" I gulped and decided to bite my tongue.

"...No! Not at all, don't worry," I lied, laughing nervously.

We continued to watch as the Survey Corps walked along the path. It was soon over, and most of the townsfolk were beginning to clear out quickly. Felix and I decided to explore, not feeling like going home yet.

"Hey, Felix," I said as we were walking next to the wall.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to the hole in the wall where everyone sees the Rock Titan staring at them? I know _I_ do!" He gasped, turning to me.

"You do?"

"Sure!" I smiled. "It's not like it could get through. I heard it's one seventh of the size of the wall."

"From who?"

"Calem." Felix snorted, looking at the ground.

"Fine, let's go check it out."

"Yay!" I cheered, jumping into the air. It wasn't long before we reached the hole. "Come on, let's get a better view." I pointed to a small house. "Let's get on the roof."

"The roof?" my brother sighed. "Kat, you know I'm not as athletic as you."

"If you wanna be in the Scout Regiment, you're gonna have to learn one way or another, Felix. Come on!" I said, running to the house.

"Whoa, wait for me!" he called. While I was running, I pushed myself into the air and stretched my arms out. My arms roughly made it to the roof, slipping and grabbing until I was able to hold onto the gutter. "I gotcha, Kat," I heard Felix say. He grabbed my legs and pushed me up, helping me get onto the roof. I sat down on the edge and lowered my arm. He grabbed my wrist and I grabbed his, pulling him up.

"Thanks," we said simultaneously. We laughed.

"You know, Felix," I said, brushing my hair out of my face. "You're heavier than the last time I carried or picked you up. Don't get too heavy, or else you won't have your big sister to help you out all of the time." He made a face, staring at the ground below us.

"I can take care of myself, you know," he muttered, resting his arms on his knees.

"I know. But I won't take any chances. I care about you too much, Felix." He refused to look at me. I frowned and turned to the wall, staring at the hole. The Rock Titan wasn't there..._yet_. It was getting late, and I knew if I wasn't home before sunset Calem would come find Felix and me.

"We should get going," he said after a while. "Calem's gonna be furious."

"So what? Let him go on a rampage, see if I care," I snorted, locking my gaze on the hole. _Come on, __Rock__ Titan!_ I prayed. _Please show up._

"Stay here if you want, but I'm going home. Bye, Kat," Felix said, sliding off of the roof. He landed with a thud.

"Y'alright?"

"I'm fine!" he called. He ran in the direction of the house, not looking back. I sighed. Maybe it'll be there tomorrow. I looked at the ground and prepared to jump off, glancing back at the wall. I froze, eyes widening and jaw dropping. There it was...the Rock Titan! The hole only showed the top half of its face, but that was enough. It's presence was very unsettling, and it just stared at me. It blinked and narrowed its glowing red eyes. I gasped and, out of fear, slid off of the roof and ran home.

_**Transition**_

"Katrina!" Calem's voice boomed from the other side of my bedroom door. "Open this door at once!" I was laying under the covers of my bed, just laying there. I was honestly terrified ever since I made eye contact with the Colossal Titan.

"Kat?" I heard Felix ask. "Can _I_ come in?" I grabbed a small key that unlocked the door to my room from my nightstand and threw it across the floor. It slid under the door. Almost instantly the door was unlocked and kicked open by none other than Calem. All three of my brothers entered my room, stopping in their tracks when they saw me.

"Kat...?" Robin gasped. "What happened?"

"Felix, what did you let her get into this time?!" Calem scolded him.

"It wasn't -"

"Leave him alone, Calem!" I yelled from my hiding spot. Instantly they all shut up. "He had nothing to do with this. You can't just assume it was his fault."

"Alright," he said calmly, "I'll stop scolding Felix." I peeked my head from under the covers and saw Calem kneeling at the side of my bed, staring at me. "Tell me everything that happened when you left."

"Felix and I went to see the Survey Corps, then went to that hole in the wall where people see the Rock Titan."

"And...did you see it?" he asked. I shut my eyes, clutching my pillow tightly.

"...It stared at me as if I were...meat," I whispered.

"Lucky!" Robin said. Felix stabbed him in the side with his elbow. "Ouch! You little bastard!"

"Well, Katrina," Calem sighed, "Titans see us as food. It's just how they are. You shouldn't think anything of it, there's no way the Rock Titan will break through Wall Sina -"

"How do you know that?!" I yelled, glaring at him. He gasped. "Don't you hear the banging all the time?! One day, Wall Sina will crumble...then what?!" My eyes were tearing up out of frustration, at least that's what I liked to tell myself. After that my room was silent, even Robin didn't have an obnoxious remark to say.

Calem turned to him and nodded, Robin nodded back and left the room. He was back in a short matter of time holding a small brown book. He threw it at Calem, who caught it with his right hand and held it out to me. I looked at it and saw an inscription on the cover. _Yuka's __Journal_. My eyes widened and I glanced at my brother. He smiled and nodded. I pushed the covers off of me and sat up, snatching the book from his hand and opening it to the first page. _Property of Yuka Mitasu Ayumi._ I gasped. "Mom's journal..." I said in amazement.

"It _was_ for your birthday," Robin groaned. Felix stabbed him in the side again. "Dammit, stop that!"

"I assumed you'd appreciate it now," Calem said, watching as I flipped through the pages. I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He fell over onto the floor and laughed, hugging me back.

"Where's my hug?" Robin muttered. "That book was in _my_ possession, in the first place." Felix attempted to stab him once more, but Robin pushed him aside.

"It's getting late," Calem said, gently pushing me off. He got to his feet and helped me up. He turned to Robin and Felix, "We should all be getting some shut-eye. Good night, guys." He exited the room without another word.

"He seems bothered," I said, looking at Robin. "What's the matter with him?"

"I bet he just misses his girlfriend," he answered, crossing his arms. "He and Stephanie haven't seen each other in a while."

"Too bad, she makes good cookies," Felix said. I giggled, sitting on my bed. "I'm going to bed, too."

"Same. Night, Kat," Robin told me, leaving my room with Felix close behind.

"...Night," I murmured. I sighed, grabbing my hairbrush from my nightstand and beginning to run it through my hair. I glanced out of my window and gasped, dropping the brush. I sat still, petrified. From my window I could see the hole in the wall. And through the hole, I could see the Rock Titan staring back at me.

I wanted to scream, but something was keeping me from doing just that. Isn't that impossible? I thought Titans used solar energy. It felt like hours were passing as the Rock Titan and I were gazing at each other. I gulped, and decided I've had enough of this. I slowly got to my feet and stepped closer to the window, extending an arm toward the curtain to pull it over. Before I could the Titan narrowed its eye, as if trying to tell me something. I gasped, taking my hand away from the curtain. It blinked, eye calm. It was definitely trying to tell me something.

I pointed at myself. It blinked again. I assumed when it blinked, it was saying "yes". When it's eye narrowed, it was saying "no". I pointed at it, then grabbed a pencil from my desk and snapped it in half, then pointed at me. The Rock Titan narrowed its eye. Fascinating. It appeared as if this Titan had a trace of intelligence. I was tired, and my body was screaming at me to let it go to sleep. I waved, as in to say "goodbye". It blinked, then turned its head and appeared to walk away. I sighed of relief and threw myself onto my bed. I instantly fell asleep.

_**Transition**_

"Run!"

"Run for your lives!" Screams of terror were heard everywhere as countless Titans rampaged through the village. Minutes before this catastrophe, Katrina Ayumi had finally discovered that she knew how to communicate with the Rock Titan. For reasons unknown, she somehow told it to ram the wall. Now, Wall Sina was under attack. The innumerable soldiers at work were giving little help. It seemed as for every one Titan killed, ten more would arrive.

"Katrina!" a voice familiar to her ears cried. She was standing in the middle of the chaos, somehow avoiding the Titans without even doing anything. She turned around to see her eldest brother, being picked up by an ten-meter Titan. "How could -" He was cut off by the Titan ripping him in half. Blood splattered Katrina's clothing. It threw both halves into its mouth and swallowed contently, turning around and walking away.

"Kat!" two voices screamed. She turned around once more to see Felix and Robin in the hands of the Rock Titan. The Titan looked at her. "Help us!" Katrina gave the Titan a thumbs-up, giving it permission to devour the rest of her family. It blinked. It bit their heads off and threw them as far as it could. Katrina broke into a mad laughter, falling to her knees. She faced the sky and screamed, loving the dysfunction she has caused.

I woke up screaming, my head flying off of the pillow as I sat up. It was...all a dream? No...it was nothing close to a dream. It was a nightmare. My bedroom door was quickly thrown open, Calem running in.

"Katrina!" he gasped, standing next to my bed. "What happened? Are you alright?" I was gawking, a blank look in my eyes. "Katrina, answer me!" I slowly regained my sanity and turned to my brother, seeing Felix and Robin in the doorway watching.

"I had a nightmare," I murmured, raising my hand to my forehead. "...It was hell."

"What was it about?" Tears began to stream down my cheeks.

"Titans broke through the wall," I explained in between sobs. "And you, Felix, and Robin were killed. But...the thing that really bothered me was that...I caused it. And I was happy about doing it. It was my fault that you three were murdered." Calem was silent after that. He cleared his throat and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare, a figment of our imagination. Seeing the Rock Titan must have frightened you enough to poison your dreams." He turned to Felix and Robin and motioned for them to leave. Robin shrugged and left almost instantly, while Felix hesitated for a bit. After they both left I laid back down and covered my eyes with my arm.

"Calem..." I whispered, "Can you sing Mom's song to me?"

"Of course, Katrina," he soothed. "_I will never, let you fall. I'll stand up with you, forever-er-er. I'll be there for you, through it all. Even if saving you, sends me to heaven. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay-i-ay-i-ay-a-a-ay. Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us. Days grow longer and nights grow shorter. I can show you I'll be the one. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever-er-er. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven._" By the time Mom's song was over, I was almost asleep. The last thing I remember is Calem telling me he loved me and kissing my cheek.

**Yes I know I used lyrics from the song "Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. But it fits the concept so too bad :I. I do not own or have any part of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus or any of their music. Sorry that this didn't have much action or blood...I'm saving that for chapter 2 ;D.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all who have continued to read my story, it means a lot to me ^^. People shall die now...YAY!**

_Katrina's POV_

I awoke to the tune of a songbird's call, the sunlight burning my eyes when they opened. I yawned, rubbing my eyes and forcing myself out of bed. I opened my door and walked to the kitchen. I saw Felix, Robin, and Calem sitting at the table, spotless plates in front of each. The empty spot next to Felix had a plate of food resting on it. I gulped. "I must've overslept..." I said nervously.

"Don't worry about it," Calem said, standing up and walking from the table. He grabbed the empty plates and put them in the sink. "Just eat. You look thin." I rolled my eyes.

"You want me to be fat?"

"I didn't say that."

"What he's trying to say is: eat it or _I_ will!" Robin said, snickering.

"That's better," I giggled, sitting down next to Felix and grabbing my fork. I glanced at him to catch him glaring at me. He quickly turned away, arms crossed. "...What's the matter, Felix?" I asked.

"Nothing," he answered quickly. I narrowed my eyes, turning back to my plate of food. I was about to eat my first fork-full of food when all of a sudden the ground began to shake.

"Earthquake!" Calem shouted, turning around and grabbing Felix and me by our wrists. "Hurry! Everyone outside, now!" Robin opened the door and ran outside, Calem following. Soon we were all outside. People screamed as houses and buildings collapsed. The shaking stopped. Calem frowned, letting go of my and Felix's wrists. "That was too short. It wasn't an earthquake," he said, glancing at the wall. He gasped and took a step back, eyes wide. I looked in the direction he was looking in and shrieked, grabbing his arm.

The Rock Titan's gray, cracked arm was sticking through the wall, first clenched. It...it punched a hole through the wall with such force that it caused the ground to tremble. I glanced at Felix to see him glaring at me again. This time he didn't turn away. "What, Felix?" I asked, almost screaming.

"This is _your_ fault!" he growled, taking a step toward me.

"How?"

"You know how!" I narrowed my eyes. Did he see me when I was communicating with the Rock Titan?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then explain that!" He pointed toward the wall. I glanced at it to see the Rock Titan staring at me through the hole it had made. This time I could see both of his eyes. It blinked, then narrowed its eyes. I shook my head, trying to tell him to stop. His eyes remained narrowed. "See? You're _talking_ to it!"

"Felix, enough!" Calem snorted, glaring at him. "You have no proof that Katrina and the Rock Titan have a way of communication. The only thing we need to focus on is -" Calem was cut off by yet another earthquake. He looked to the wall to see the Rock Titan had punched another hole through the wall, ten meters closer to the gate. "Okay...enough with rationality. Katrina, tell it to stop!"

"I tried!" I told him. "But when he narrows his eyes, it means no!"

"What?"

"I can explain later. We need to get out of here!"

"Yeah? Well where the hell are we going to go?!" Felix snarled, clenching his fists.

"There is one place," Calem murmured. "I forgot the proper coordinates, but they're written in Mom's journal."

"Mom's journal!" I gasped, taking off toward my house. Another earthquake struck, causing me to fall onto my face. "Agh!" I yelled, tears welling in my eyes. "My ankle!"

"I'll get it, Katrina!" Calem said, running to and inside the house. I looked to the wall and my jaw dropped. There was a new hole, five meters from the gate. Robin ran to me and picked me up, carrying me back to where he and Felix were standing. I looked at my ankle to see it was either badly sprained or broken. Or both, if that was even possible.

"I'm no doctor," Robin said, staring at my ankle, "but I don't think you'll be able to walk too well anymore."

"It _hurts_!" I whined, tears escaping from my eyes.

"No shit," I heard Felix mutter.

"Now you shut the hell up!" I screamed at him. He turned to me with a surprised look on his face. "You've done nothing but be a bitch to me this whole day, and now the Colossal Titan is trying to break through Wall Sina! Show some humanity, some sanity, and quit this little tantrum!" He went silent and looked away.

"I got it!" Calem cried, standing in the doorway. I looked at him and smiled. All of a sudden a large piece of the wall landed on the house, demolishing it completely. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"CALEM!" I began to thrash around, trying to escape Robin's grip.

"Calm down, Kat!" he gasped, refusing to let go. "You can't walk!"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. I turned to see Calem's head, arms and shoulders sticking out from the debris. I gasped and stopped fighting. "Calem!" He weakly raised his head and looked back at me. Tears began to fall down his cheeks as there was another earthquake. I glanced at the wall to see a new hole ten meters from the gate.

"Katrina, catch!" I heard Calem weakly yell. I saw him throw Mom's journal at me. I caught it by it's bookmark, pulling it from the page it was on. Suddenly there was a loud crash heard from the wall, and I didn't want to look. But I did anyway. The Rock Titan's foot had broken the gate, and the line of holes that it had left were gone. As was the part of the wall that held them. This was it. The wall was broken and Titans were slowly entering the town. I couldn't see any trace of the Rock Titan after that. "Robin!" Calem shouted, "Take Katrina and Felix far away from here, now! Keep them safe, even if it risks your life!" Robin nodded at him and grabbed Felix's wrist, taking off.

"No!" I screamed, watching as a ten-meter Titan slowly made its way to my house...to my Calem. "No, stop, Robin!" I cried. He ignored me and kept running, refusing to look back. I yelled as I saw the Titan push the debris off and grabbed Calem. I couldn't help but watch as the Titan dangled him over its mouth, then dropped him. Blood flew everywhere as it chomped down on my brother. "NOO!" I screeched, tears streaming from my face.

_**Flashback**_

"Calem?" a five-year-old Katrina asked her eldest brother. He turned to her. He was standing in the doorway of their home next to his younger brother Robin. "What's wrong? Where's Mommy and Daddy?" Eleven-year-old Calem didn't answer her.

"They're -" Robin began, only to be hushed by Calem pressing his hand against his mouth.

"They aren't at home, Katrina," Calem told her, resting a hand on her cheek. Her big green eyes tore through his soul, forcing him to tell her the truth. "Mommy and Daddy are...gone." A four-year-old Felix gasped.

"Where did they go?!" he asked, blue eyes tearing up.

"They went to..." Robin trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"They're dead," Calem said bluntly. Katrina gasped, tears filling her eyes.

"I don't believe you!" she yelled. "Show me!" Calem stepped aside, letting her see the inside of the house. She covered her mouth with her hands, falling to her knees. Hanging from the ceiling fan were two adults, a male and female, in nooses. Katrina screamed, beginning to bawl.

"Why do you think Mom and Dad would do such a thing to themselves?" Robin whispered to Calem who was watching as his little sister was crying her eyes out. "They seemed so happy."

"Emphasis on the word 'seemed'. Some people are fantastic actors. I took Mom's journal yesterday and flipped through some of the pages. I read that she and Dad were going to relieve themselves of every prick of pain they had felt their entire lives. So I assumed this was what they meant," Calem explained, not bothering to take his eyes off of Katrina. "I'll take Katrina to her room and try to calm her down. I'd suggest you do the same with Felix." Calem grabbed Katrina and picked her up, her head resting on his shoulder. He took her to her room and laid her on her bed. She calmed down a bit, but not entirely.

"C-Calem..." she murmured, glancing at him. "Why did Mommy and Daddy die?"

"Because it was their time."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure," he replied, running a hand through his black hair. "But I think it's because they knew that the four of us were ready to face the real world. And the real world is a cruel place, if you think about it. So, do me a favor, Katrina, and don't think about it." Katrina stared into his eyes, sniffling. She slowly nodded, wiping away her tears.

"Okay, Big Brother."

"But you know," Calem smiled, brushing some hairs from his sister's face with his fingers. "Mom didn't leave us without a way to remember her."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was your age, Mom would sing me a song. I didn't know what she called it, but it calmed me down and helped me sleep. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes!"

And so Calem softly sang their Mother's song to Katrina. And ever since then, Calem Ayumi had never let his sister leave his heart. He made himself swear on his life to do everything possible to protect her. She was his main priority. Then Felix, then Robin, then himself. He found that being a mother was hard. Too hard.

_**Back to Reality**_

I stared blankly at where the rubble of which was once my house laid. Where my dearest brother was eaten by a heartless, mindless Titan. I had stopped crying, but only because I had no tears left to shed. I wanted to kill Robin for not letting me save Calem...but even if I tried to save him, what could I have done? No...it wasn't Robin's fault. It wasn't my fault. It was the journal's fault. I stared at the book I clutched close to my chest and sighed. I wanted to throw it away. I wanted to throw it into a Titan's mouth. I hated the book. I despised it. But I needed it. Without it, there is no way my remaining family and I could make it to the secret place Calem told me about. And no way I would ever learn anything about my parents. I never even knew my mother's first name was Yuka.

Robin stopped running. I looked around and saw that we were hiding in a tight alleyway. "Is everyone okay?" Robin asked, acting like an adult for once in his life. Felix was quietly sobbing, trying to stop.

"Crying isn't going to demolish your manliness, Felix," I told him. He glared at me and gritted his teeth.

"Whoa now," Robin said, laying me against a wall. "Let's all stay calm, shall we?"

"Whatever," Felix sighed, turning away. Robin turned to me.

"Katrina," he said. That was the first time he's ever called me by my full name. "Do you want to walk again?"

"Um, sure?"

"Alright, but don't kill me for trying to help you." Robin knelt beside me and grabbed my lower ankle with his hand and my higher ankle with the other.

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting scared.

"First..." Robin grabbed the journal from my hands and held it in front of my face. "To contain your screams, you may want to bite down on the leather." I gulped, slowly grabbing the book and placing it between my jaws. "Ready?"

"I guess..." I answered. He shifted my bone, a loud _CRACK_ resulting. I bit down as hard as I could on the leather of Mom's journal and screamed, voice muffled. Robin ripped the book from my mouth and placed it in my lap. I looked at it and saw a deep bite mark on its spine. _Whoops,_ I thought. Robin stood up and stretched out his arm, offering to help me to my feet.

"Try to walk, now." I grabbed his wrist with one hand, my other one occupied with holding a journal, and pulled myself up, standing. I walked from one wall to the other just fine.

"Wow!" I gasped, smiling. "Thanks, Robin! You've got to teach me how to do that!"

"Later. Right now, we need to see where that secret place that Calem told us about is. Katrina, you have the journal. Look for it," Robin said. I opened the journal and scanned the pages, looking for something that said "Backup plan" or anything like that. At the back of the book I found a page that was titled "Wall Naomi".

"I've got something," I said. Robin and Felix stood next to me, each on one side, and listened as I read them the details. "Wall Naomi is an ancient place with no inhabitants. It is one thousand meters north from Wall Maria, standing at a whopping two hundred meters tall and fifty meters wide. It was built in case the three other walls were ever broken. The man who had the idea of making Wall Naomi was looked down upon, for no one believed in his theory of the destruction of the other walls. But he still had the wall built, and it has never had a living human inside. This place is only reachable by the Survey Corps or anyone who dares to risk their lives and leave the interior of the walls. To those reading this, you may wonder where I got this information. I obtained this valuable info from the king himself. Don't ask how, I'm quite ashamed of it. Anyway...the few souls that have attempted to get to Wall Naomi have either been eaten or died naturally. It is very unlikely that they have actually made it. Nowadays, you _need_ to be in the Scout Regiment to get anywhere outside of the walls. Unless you're sanity drained from you long ago." That was it, but it was enough.

"Wall Naomi?" Robin murmured, putting a hand up to his forehead. "I don't know about this."

"It's the best chance we've got," Felix said as I shut Mom's journal.

"Felix is right, Robin," I agreed with him. "One way or another, we have to get to Wall Naomi. And that means joining the Scout Regiment." Robin glared at me as if trying to say he didn't want me joining, but he let it go and looked away. "You're with me, right, Felix?" I asked turning to him with a smile. He smiled back, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Of course! I dunno what I'd do without you, Kat," he told me.

"What about me?" Robin spoke up. "What am I supposed to do while you two go and put your lives in the hands of Titans?"

"You could join with us, Robin," I offered.

"I'll be too old," he said. "Most kids join when they're twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen the latest. Eighteen? Not so much." My heart sank. He was right, what was he supposed to do with his life while Felix and I were gone?

"You can go find Stephanie," Felix pitched in, smirking. "She's like...nineteen, right?"

"Hah, now you're talking."

"You two are disgusting," I snorted. "Speaking of which, does anyone even know where Stephanie is?" The boys shook their heads. Suddenly there was a scream from outside the alley. I looked to see a four-meter Titan picking up a red-haired woman with ice blue eyes. Stephanie. "That's Stephanie!" I gasped, pointing. I turned to Robin. "I have a plan."

_**This doesn't exactly count as a transition, but I just don't want to explain the plan :I**_

"Help! Somebody help me!" Stephanie yelled as the Titan gazed at her with its dead eyes.

"Hey!" Felix ran out of the alley with a few well-sized rocks in his arms and stood five feet from the Titan. "How 'bout you pick on someone your own size?" He threw the rocks at the Titan one at a time, aiming for its eyes. One of them hit the monstrosity right in the pupil, and it let out a vicious cry of pain. It dropped Stephanie and she was quickly plummeting to the ground.

"I gotcha, Stephanie!" Robin called, running toward her to try to catch her. She shrieked and finally landed, right into Robin's arms. She gazed at him, smiling.

"Thanks, Robin!" she told him nonchalantly, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She slid out of his grasp and brushed herself off. There was a shriek from Felix. I exited the alley and saw the Titan turning to Felix and smiling at him. Uh oh.

"Felix!" I gasped, seeing the Titan reach down to pick him up. I grabbed a rock and ran to Felix, standing in front of him.

"Kat, what are you doing?!" he growled.

"Saving your life!" Once the Titan's hand was close enough I sliced it with a sharp edge of the rock I was holding, blood spurting from the wound. It roared, pulling its hand away. "Come on, you guys! Lets -" I was cut off by something grabbing me by the waist and taking me away.

I gasped, glancing to my right to see a Garrison soldier using his ODM device to save me. I heard a cheer at my left and knew almost instantly it was Stephanie being saved, too. She always found fun the worst of situations. I have no idea what Calem saw in her. I caught a glimpse of two other soldiers carrying Robin and Felix. _Where are they taking us, anyway?_ I wondered. _There's nowhere known to man left to go._ Eventually the ride stopped and we were all safely placed on the roof of a tall stone building. The soldiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of us, while my family and Stephanie were practically having a staring contest with them.

"Aww!" Stephanie sighed, crossing her arms. "Why'd we have to stop?" Ignoring her complaint, one of the Garrison soldiers stepped up. His black hair was trimmed into a neat buzz cut, leaving plenty of room for his big light blue eyes. Stephanie was eying him curiously, scanning from head to toe over and over. I always thought of her as a little slut. This confirmed my theory. The soldier looked at me and Felix, smiling.

"You two," he said. "Did you harm that Titan's eye and hand?" I glared at him for a moment, wondering if I should answer or not.

"Yep!" Felix told him. I face-palmed. "I threw a rock at his eye and my sister sliced the Titan's hand with another rock."

"Impressive."

"Huh?" I gasped.

"Well, you don't see quick thinking like that everyday. Do we, Mark?" he chuckled, turning to the soldiers behind him.

"No, we do not," a brunette man staring blankly into space agreed. The first soldier turned back to me and just stared. I gritted my teeth, narrowing my eyes.

"What the hell are you staring at me like that for?" I muttered. Robin gasped and turned to look at me. The soldier burst into laughter.

"Feisty one," he laughed, taking a step back. "Are there any people important to you four that we didn't get a chance to save back there?"

"No," Robin told him.

"Good," the soldier said quietly.

"Where will you take us?" Stephanie spoke up. It appeared as if her wandering eye had lost interest in the Garrison soldier. I didn't know sluts were picky. "There is nowhere left to go, am I mistaken?"

"No, you are correct," he sighed. "But half of the survivors found are hiding out in this building we're standing on. The other half are someplace else."

"Who is protecting us?"

"All Garrison soldiers and members of the Military Police are battling the Titans with all of their strength. There are also a few members of the Survey Corps, but most of them are again trying to reclaim Wall Rose." Wow, Stephanie wasn't dumb. She was asking all of the right questions that we were all wondering. I still don't take back what I said about her though. Never. "Shall we get inside? Before a Titan or two notices us just standing around doing nothing?"

Robin opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Stephanie. "Yes, of course," she said. The main soldier walked up to her and held out his hand. She made a face and grabbed his wrist. Okay...now I take it back. He practically pushed her off of the edge, holding onto her wrist so she wouldn't fall to her death. She gasped, a look of horror on her face as she stared at the ground. "What the hell?!" she growled, stepping onto a ledge that led to an open window. She ripped her wrist from the soldier's hand and entered the building. The soldier then turned to me and reached out his hand. I held Mom's journal closely to my chest and grabbed his hand, jumping off of the edge. I dangled from his grip for a moment and then let go, landing safely on the ledge. I entered the building and found Stephanie looking at a bookshelf. She appeared quite amazed.

"Stephanie," I said, walking up to her. "I didn't know you liked books."

"Are you kidding?" she giggled, turning to me. "I _love_ books! Especially adventure, horror, and romance." Maybe she wasn't that bad. Maybe. I heard a grunt as Felix landed on the ledge. He almost lost his balance but smoothly found it, jumping off and landing on the wooden floorboards. I noticed a few other people in the room. But one in particular caught my attention. There was a boy with raven black hair and tan skin that looked around my age, staring at me with a small smile. He was sitting in a corner in the back of the room, doing nothing. Unlike most boys would've, I think, he didn't turn away when I caught him. I smiled back and turned back to the bookshelf. "Ooh!" I heard Stephanie gasp. I turned to her and frowned, seeing the mischievous glint in her perfect ice blue eyes. "Go talk to him!"

"Shh!" I hissed. She smirked, turning back to the bookshelf.

"Don't be scared, Katrina," she whispered, grabbing a book titled _I Heart Monster_ and pulling it from the shelf. "Just go for it." She turned and leaned against the shelf, sliding down until she was sitting. I turned to see Felix glaring at the boy I saw. I stepped in front of him and his gaze returned to normal, as if nothing.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"The outside," he replied. "There's a window over there, you know."

"In that corner where the boy, who happened to stare at me, is sitting?" I asked, pointing and putting my other hand on my hip. Felix laughed nervously, putting on the most fake smile I've ever seen.

"What makes you think I was looking over there?"

"I'm not blind, Felix," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "I can look at whoever I want. I can talk to whoever I want. I can become friends with whoever I want. Got it?"

"What are you trying to say, Kat?" he snorted, narrowing his eyes. "Do you think I don't want you hanging with that guy?" I nodded. "Well, you are exactly correct." I groaned, face-palming again. "He's sketchy!"

"How? He's just sitting there!" I growled.

"He's got a strange look in his eye."

"You're just paranoid, and think that since Calem is dead I need a new guardian. Well you know what? I got one. I've had one my whole life! And you know who that is?" He shook his head slowly. "It's me." I turned around with a flip of my hair and walked to the boy we were just talking about.

He was staring out of a window in the wall beside him, watching the chaos. I stood in front of him and noticed how pretty his brown eyes were. "Hi," I said. He turned his head to face me, his expression oddly nonchalant. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Be my guest," he replied. Wow, his voice was smooth. I shook the thought from my head and turned around, sitting next to him. "What's your name?"

"Katrina," I told him, setting my mother's journal in my lap. "What's yours?"

"Benjamin. But no one's called me that in thirteen years, so I'm used to just 'Ben'."

"So, you're thirteen?"

"Fourteen." I couldn't help but smile, just a little.

"Me too," I murmured, crossing my legs. "Mind if I call you by your full name?"

"Not at all." I noticed Felix shooting a glare toward Benjamin and me. I narrowed my eyes and grabbed the journal, getting ready to throw it at him. His eyes widened and he looked away quickly, knowing how fantastic of an aim I was. I smirked and dropped the journal in my lap again. Apparently, Benjamin had caught glimpse of what just happened.

"I'd assume that's your brother, over there?" he asked, smirking. I turned to him in surprise and laughed nervously.

"Yeah...he's annoying. Wait...how'd you know?"

"I used to have a little sister, and we'd get on each others nerves and laugh it off a while later."

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere in a twelve-meter Titan's stomach."

"Oh..." I felt bad now. Crap. I thought my sense of pity dried out a long time ago. "I'm sorry..." He chuckled.

"Hey, that was around thirty minutes ago. Maybe more. I'm over it," he told me. I smiled. "Did you lose anyone, yet?" Funny how he said 'yet'. It stunned me a bit.

"My eldest brother was eaten by a ten-meter Titan."

"Damn," Benjamin said quietly. "Did you see the Rock Titan?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I think it's about sixteen meters. Hopefully he's the only sixteen-meter Titan alive...and there no other bigger ones."

"I agree." It was nice to talk to Benjamin. And it looked like he enjoyed talking to me, as well.

"Have you ever wanted to join the Trainee Corps?" I asked, praying he'd say yes. He smiled.

"Yeah! I wanna join the Scout Regiment...what about you?" This is definitely destiny.

"Believe it or not, I want to do the _exact_ same thing," I giggled. Suddenly Benjamin took notice to my journal and glanced at it, looking back to me.

"You have a journal?"

"Well...yes and no," I began, sighing. "It's in my possession, but it's technically my mother's."

"That would explain the title," he observed. I quickly changed the subject, hoping he wouldn't want a peek inside.

"How long do you think we'll have to stay in hiding?"

"Dunno. It could take days, to weeks, to months. I doubt it'll take years, though," he replied, staring out of the window again. I caught a glimpse of the same female soldier I saw while I was watching the Survey Corps slicing the nape of a Titan with ease. She was so graceful...I wanted to be just like her. Now that's a goal I'll have to work hard for.

**Ugh ;-; I hate to end it here but I must. Stay tuned or else Mikasa will eat your face :D**


	4. Chapter 3

**Welcome back :D Thank you to all who continue to support my story, you have zero idea of how much I appreciate it! (I SHIP KATRINA AND BENJAMIN SO MUCH...#KEN)**

_Katrina's POV **Two months later**_

It's been two months and, according to the Garrison soldiers that occasionally visit the survivors to make sure they were all somewhat fed and alive, the Titan population has decreased by thirty percent. Fan-fucking-tastic. Some optimistic people may think that's a hell of a lot, but I don't. Fifty percent is a lot. Seventy percent is a lot. One hundred percent is a lot! Thirty percent doesn't satisfy me at all. At least I had such a great person to share my time with every long day.

Benjamin and I shared a lot in common, _too_ much in common if you asked me. But I thought nothing of it...he was too damn hot. Though, spending so much time with him put a serious strain on my relationship with my brother. Robin was occupied with Stephanie, so neither of them had a sliver of time for Felix. He never got to find a liking toward Benjamin, either. I've even introduced them before, and Felix doesn't even look him in the eye.

"The real world is a cruel place, if you think about it," I remember Calem telling me. "So, do me a favor, Katrina, and don't think about it." I never knew it was so hard not to think about it.

I was sitting in the same corner where I officially met Benjamin, reading my mother's journal with immense interest. She had recorded the appearance, apparent personality, strategy of consumption, and possible abnormality of every single Titan that she had seen or come in contact with and even gave them names! According to the written words, she believed that there were no such things as normal and abnormal Titans...she didn't appreciate separating them into two groups just by how they acted.

Suddenly two hands shut the journal while I was in the middle of reading a sentence. I gasped and looked up to see Felix's blank gaze staring back at me. I gritted my teeth. "Felix!" I hissed. "What the hell is the matter with you?!"

"You ever notice how Ben isn't here half of the day?" Felix asked, unfazed by my outburst. I crossed my arms, looking out the window.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Do you ever use that smart-ass brain of yours and wonder _why_ he isn't here?" I stood up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against a wall.

"The fuck did you just say to me?" I snarled, my face two inches from his. He grabbed my wrist and tried to pull my hand away, but I was too strong. "I get that you're only trying to warn me and protect me, but as I said before: I already have a guardian. And in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been treating you like a three-year-old for two months. You should try to do the same to me." I let him go and walked back to my spot, sitting down and grabbing my journal again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him brush himself off and glare at me. I turned to him and looked at him in the eye. Were his eyes always...brown? I remember them being blue, like Stephanie's. Well technically hers were lighter but whatever.

"You know," he said, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "I hate to admit it, but I miss the old Katrina who would treat me like a three-year-old. At least she spent time with me." He walked toward the giant window where we all entered this building in the first place, sitting on the ledge with his back leaning on the thin wall. I sighed.

All of a sudden Benjamin appeared out of nowhere on the ledge Felix was sitting on. I saw them share a threatening glare with each other before Benjamin hopped off the ledge and into the building, looking to me and smiling. I smiled back and couldn't help but blush. A surprise entrance with a charming smile afterward? That's the definition of _hot_. Plus, having a rivalry with my brother makes him twenty percent hotter.

**You see what I did there? MLP reference...twenty percent _cooler_ Heh...only I find that funny -forever alone- ;3; (This does NOT count as a transition)**

He walked up to me and sat in front of me, a smirk on his face. "Guess where I went?"

"I don't feel like guessing," I teased. "But I'll assume its the same place you go almost every day."

"Correct," he said. "I went with one of the Garrison soldiers to check out the interior of Wall Sina to see all of the destruction."

"Wow," I gasped, a sudden jealousy growing. "How is it?"

"Not as horrific as I expected," Benjamin chuckled, his facial expression turning from nonchalant to adventurous in a millisecond. "Guess what else!"

"Um...what...?" He was kind of scaring me now. It was a good kind of scared, though. I think.

"The soldier, I think his name was Ash something, told me that he would be coming in later to escort the kids who wanted to join the 124th Trainee Corps out of here to join!"

"I thought we had to sign up or something..."

"Not this time!" We laughed together...like Felix and I used to do. I shook the thought from my head and redirected my focus back onto Benjamin.

"I can't wait!" I giggled excitedly.

"Me neither." We stared into each others eyes for a moment. A moment that seemed to last forever. Behind Benjamin I saw Felix staring at us again, eyes brown. _What's with his eyes?_ I wondered curiously. I guess he caught my pupils redirect, because he cleared his throat and stretched. Great job at trying not to make it awkward. "So," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "will Felix be joining the Trainee Corps, too?" My heart stopped, eyes widening. _Will_ he?! He might back out because of Benjamin.

"He might not because of you," I sighed, staring at the floorboards. "But I'll convince him. It may mean I won't have much time for you during free time, though..."

"Hey," he said quietly, putting a hand on my knee. I looked at him to see a new side of him I've never seen before. Compassionate. "If you need to dedicate the entire three years to your little brother, that's alright with me." I smiled and laid my right hand on his.

"Thank you...but I can promise you he won't need that much time with me." That nice little moment was destroyed when the sound of two feet slamming against the floor echoed off the walls. Benjamin whipped his head around to see what was going on. It was that soldier he was talking about. The same soldier who gave my family...and Stephanie...a pep talk on the roof. He was looking around the room with a small smirk on his face. I never liked that guy.

"Attention, survivors!" he announced, raising his right hand professionally. "I am here to take the teenagers who would like to join the 124th Trainee Corps out of this building for training. If you are one of those people, come over here at once. I will not come back to collect more this year, so if you're not sure about joining you'd better make up your mind." At that moment Benjamin and I stood up at the same time. I held onto my journal tightly as I walked up to the soldier with raw determination burning in my soul. This was it. I stood in front of him and looked up, staring at him in the eye. "Hey, I know you!" he told me, smiling. "You're that girl I saved two months ago...the feisty one."

"Yep, that's me," I responded, turning around. "The feisty one." I glanced at Felix who was sitting next to a bookshelf, staring at me. I turned to Ash. "Can I speak with my brother for a moment?"

"Sure," he said. "I've got to collect the teens downstairs, anyway. You and Ben stay by the window, got it?" I nodded. I never knew there was a downstairs. He hopped out of the window and I assumed he caught the next ledge before falling to his death. I walked to Felix and knelt in front of him.

"Felix?" I asked quietly, brushing some hair from his eyes with my fingers. He sighed and turned to face me, eyes still as brown as the wooden floor.

"What?"

"Will you be joining the Trainee Corps, like we discussed two months ago?" I asked. He crossed his arms, sighing.

"Why bother? You'll spend all of your time with Ben while I'm all alone without a soul to talk to."

"What are you talking about? You're an awesome person, you'll make tons of friends in a heartbeat. Plus, I won't pay Benjamin a sliver of my time unless its alright with you, okay?" That cheered him up, because suddenly his eyes turned back to the blue they've always been. Strange. He lunged at me and wrapped his arms around my neck, knocking me over. I gasped, hugging him back, and we laughed together.

"...I missed you, Kat," he whispered. I smiled and hugged him tighter.

"I missed you, too." He got off and to his feet in the speed of light and reached out his hand to help me up. I grabbed his wrist and got up. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and we smiled at each other.

It was just like old times. I didn't even notice Benjamin watching my every move with a strange glint in his eye. I didn't give a damn, either. The only thing that mattered now was that I was in good terms with my baby brother again. And, hopefully, nothing could break us apart in the future.

_**Transition**_

Today was our first day of training and I could barely contain my excitement. I knew I had to be in the top ten, even if I didn't want to be in the Military Police. I just wanted to prove that I was truly worth what I wanted to be. And by the look of my fellow trainees, it seems I'll have to work hard.

"Alright, ladies!" our head drill instructor, Vincent Uru, shouted after he taught us how to properly salute. "I hope you're ready to experience the hell of having me as your instructor!" His skin was pale, which complemented his dark green eyes and inky black hair. He was obviously older than he appeared, but this made him look less threatening. I stood among the first row, in between Benjamin at my left and Felix at my right, and was eighth to the right and fifty-fourth to the left. "I am here to make the easiest decision of my life! Whether you are worthy of having the fate of humanity in your hands or whether you're only useful for Titan fodder!" I turned my head an inch to glance at my brother. He glanced at me as well. We smirked at each other and then faced forward once more.

**Who else things that "Headstrong" by Trapt relates to Eren Yeager? Just sayin :D...&amp; I just realized that the song "You're Going Down" by Sick Puppies relates to Titan-Eren and Titan-Annie's final battle. (this does NOT count as a transition)**

He walked up to the first cadet to the right, glaring at him with flames in his eyes. "Cadet One, face me! Who the hell are you?" Cadet One had tan skin with white-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He saluted and stood up straight.

"Andrew Seiko from Stohess District, Sir!" he answered confidently.

"Why are you here?!"

"To insure the safety of humanity by slaughtering every Titan I come in contact with!" Instructor Vincent just stared at him blankly, as if trying to think of something brutally unstable to say or do.

"Well, that's quite an honorable thing to say, Cadet Seiko," he said. A surprised look fell onto everyone's faces, except for Andrew's. "Too bad you're the least honorable piece of shit I've ever seen walk on two legs! The only thing you'll ever slaughter is your dignity, if not already!" And with that he turned and walked to the next cadet, turning to face her. She was almost as tall as him, maybe three inches shorter, with long gold-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was a perfect tan, making her as pretty as Stephanie, and that's hard to be. "Cadet Two, face me! Who the hell are you?!"

She saluted perfectly and glared at him right back in the eye, a smirk on her face. "Ayaka Tsukiko from Kaine Village outside Wall Sina's interior, Sir!" She was practically screaming at the instructor, which gained a few smirks from some of the guys. Instructor Vincent wasn't fazed.

"Why are you here?!" That question appeared to be funny to Ayaka, she started giggling uncontrollably. "What is so Goddamned amusing, Cadet Tsukiko?"

"Oh nothing," she snickered. "Just the way how your tricks to intimidate me and my fellow cadets do not affect me at all. But to answer your previous question, I am here to unlock my full potential and follow in my father's steps. Hopefully, though, I don't die an embarrassing death...such as being murdered by a four-meter Titan." Gasps were heard throughout the crowd. Instructor Vincent practically had a vein popping out of his forehead, but his face showed nothing else but satisfaction.

"Good luck with that, Cadet Tsukiko," he said calmly. "But with your ignorance and self-absorption, that will be quite difficult."

"Hah! I'm about as self-absorbed as a Titan, Sir." He curtly nodded at her and walked past Cadet Three, Four, and Five. Cadet Three was a pale girl with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes; Cadet Four was a tall, darker skinned guy with scruffy black hair and green eyes; Cadet Five was a shorter, tan girl with brown-red hair tied into a ponytail and light brown eyes. Weird...why would he skip them, who didn't look too confident, and not someone like Ayaka who obviously thought she would rank number one in the top ten before she was even spoken to. Instructor Vincent turned to Cadet Six, who was practically shivering in her boots. Her hair was a pale blonde, which made her hazel eyes pop.

"Cadet Six, face me! Who the hell are you?!"

"Anna Belle Tsukiko from Kaine Village outside Wall Sina's interior, Sir!" she squeaked, saluting. Her voice was _really_ high-pitched! It sounded like a child's!

"Explain to me why you deserve to be standing in front of me!" She looked like she was going to cry. Luckily, she didn't.

"To both prove to my smart-ass sister that I can take care of myself, and to be the most feared by the Titans!" she answered confidently. Ayaka face-palmed. The instructor snickered.

"That is the funniest damned thing I've ever heard!" he sneered. "What kind of Titan would be afraid of a girl that looked and sounded like a six-year-old? They might not even find you worthy of food, much less a hunter! You aren't worth more than the dirt under your feet, Cadet Tsukiko!" Anna Belle bit her lip, clenching her fists.

"...Yes, Sir! I am not worth more than the ground beneath my heels!" And with that, the instructor turned and walked up to Felix, turning to face him. They had a stare down for a few minutes, which seemed like hours. _Please walk away!_ I prayed. _Leave my Felix out of your __verbal __torture!_

"Greetings, Sir," Felix said, smirking. "Wonderful day we're having, isn't it?" I gawked. _What the fuck are you thinking?! _Instructor Vincent chuckled for a second, his face turning back to the heartless expression it had been the whole time.

"It is, Cadet Seven. It's just a shame I had to waste two precious minutes of my life staring at the likes of you. Say, since I got your attention, who the hell are ya?"

Felix swiftly saluted, catching the attention of Anna Belle. "Felix Ayumi from Hermiha District, Sir!" Few people gasped. Those people were probably the ones who lived deeper in Wall Sina, thus not catching a good glimpse of the Titans.

"Mind explainin' to me why you're here?"

"To make sure the Titans know that they won't win this endless war. By joining the Scout Regiment, I'll do my best to drive the countless Titans from our territory." I smiled and couldn't help but tear up a little. My baby brother was growing up...he knew the right words to get himself out of trouble. This was unacceptable.

"Well, Cadet Ayumi, what if your best isn't good enough? Oh, excuse me, it isn't. And it never will be! What do you expect to do, now?"

"I'll only get better by putting myself in danger, Sir! It's the only way available, is it not?" The instructor smirked.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, too bad it's not a _great_ head." He continued walking and shot a glance at me, narrowing his eyes and stopping. Oh God, here we go. I braced myself for his demonic voice to echo in my ears. He began walking again, passing me and Benjamin. He stopped in front of Cadet Ten and began to yell at him. I sighed of relief and turned to Benjamin. He turned at the same time and we made eye contact. I smiled and motioned with my hand for him to bend down a little so I could tell him something. Damn his height. He did so and I put my lips to his ear.

"I can promise you, by the time Instructor Vincent is over with interrogating us, Felix won't be bothering me for a second. You'll get me all to yourself," I whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"Can't wait." We both faced forward once more, both with a sly smirk on our faces. I glanced at Felix to catch him talking to Anna Belle. She smiled at him shyly and pushed some locks of hair behind her right ear. Yep, she liked him. Fan. Fucking. Tastic.

_**Transition **Felix's POV_

"Greetings, Sir," I said to the instructor, a sly smirk on my face. "Wonderful day we're having, isn't it?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see Katrina gawking at me. Instructor Vincent chuckled, then instantly turned stone-faced once more.

"It is, Cadet Seven," he replied. "It's just a shame I had to waste two precious minutes of my life staring at the likes of you." Ouch...that hurt. "Say, since I've got your attention, who the hell are ya?" I saluted quickly and glared at him in the eye. I noticed Cadet Six, Anna Belle, was staring at me with a small smile. She was kind of cute.

"Felix Ayumi from Hermiha District, Sir!"

"Mind explainin' to me why you're here?" I thought for a moment, trying to think of something to surprise my sister.

"To make sure the Titans know that they won't win this endless war. By joining the Scout Regiment, I'll do my best to drive the countless Titans from our territory," I told him confidently. I saw Katrina smile, eyes growing watery. Oh, God...she's making a big deal out of this. Shit, I over did it.

"Well, Cadet Ayumi, what if your best isn't good enough? Oh, excuse me, it isn't. And it never will be! What do you expect to do, now?" Instructor Vincent yelled at me. I snorted, the stench of his putrid breath clouding my nostrils.

"I'll only get better by putting myself in danger, Sir! It is the only way possible, is it not?" I yelled at him back. He smirked.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders. Too bad it's not a _great_ head." And with that he walked up to Katrina and glared at her, as if wondering how to assault her verbally.

"Psst!" a voice on my right whispered. I turned my head to see Anna Belle staring at me with her big, ice blue eyes. She smiled shyly, pushing a few strands of hair behind her right ear. "Are you really from Hermiha District? Did you see the Rock Titan?"

"Yes and yes," I replied quietly, seeing the instructor pass Katrina and her man-whore. Anna Belle gasped, eyes glittering under the sun. Wow, she was pretty. Prettier than her sister or Stephanie.

"How big was it?!" she asked excitedly.

"Sixteen meters, I believe," I told her, smiling.

"I heard it's skin was gray and cracked like rock...is that true?"

"Are Titans pretty damned ugly?" We laughed.

"You're funny," she told me, blushing a bit.

"Thanks. You're pretty funny, yourself."

"No I'm not," she sighed, turning away. "I'm boring. Weak. Worthless." I gasped, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"Why do you say that? Is it because of Instructor Vincent?"

"No. Just my sister, Ayaka. Compared to her, I'm a runt," she said quietly, refusing to look at me. "She tried to convince me I was adopted until I was ten, she doesn't let me hang out with or talk to her when she's out with friends because I'm a 'disappointment', and many other abuses that I have either forgotten or don't wanna talk about." Damn, rough life. I turned her head to face me with my hand carefully and looked at her in the eye.

"You are _not_ a disappointment, Anna Belle," I told her, smiling. "You're a strong-willed, intelligent, and determined girl who can clear a room with a snap of her fingers. Forget about your sister for the next three years of your life, and you might not experience many hardships." She blushed and smiled at me.

"Doesn't strong-willed and determined mean the same thing?" she giggled.

"Whatever." We laughed together, again.

"Hey, Felix," she said, pushing more hair behind her ears. "When Instructor Vincent is done here, would you like to hang out with me? You're really nice...the nicest person I've ever met, actually..." Yes, score! And _I_ didn't have to ask _her_! Life is too easy, nowadays.

"Yeah, sounds fun." She smiled. I overheard Katrina whispering something to Ben, but I only heard the words _You'll get me all to yourself_. The hell he will.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

Once the brutal introduction was over, everyone made their way into the mess hall. It looked bigger on the inside than it did on the outside. I got my tray of food and sat at an empty table, half expecting Felix to join me. Benjamin sat across from me and smiled, noticing my let-down expression. "Expecting someone different?"

"It's silly," I told him, grabbing a small loaf of bread from my tray and taking a bite out of it.

"Come on!"

"Alright, alright," I chuckled, swallowing my food. "I don't know why, but I sort of expected Felix to sit with me, you know? Ever since our little reunion I've felt like we were the brother and sister duo we used to be. But, seeing he's with his little skank friend over there, I see I'm wrong." I glared at the table behind Benjamin, seeing Felix laughing with Anna Belle. Benjamin turned to look at them and then began to laugh, turning back to me.

"Are you only calling her that because you're jealous?"

"Shut the hell up," I snorted, picking at my food. "Why the fuck should I be jealous? It's not like she's prettier than me." I glared at him, narrowing my eyes. "Is she?" I loved the scared look that appeared on his face directly after I asked him that. He shook his head.

"Of course not!" he told me, smiling nervously. "You're the prettiest girl here...I promise." I smiled.

"That's what I thought." I glanced to see Anna Belle's sister, Ayaka, sitting at a table crowded with guys. I snorted in disgust. "Now _that's_ a whore," I muttered. "Anna Belle isn't that bad, but her sister is a disgrace. I wouldn't be surprised if she worked as a stripper before signing up for the Trainee Corps." Benjamin snickered, appearing to find that extremely hilarious.

The guys Ayaka was hanging out with were the bigger, stronger-looking guys who I assumed were more idiotic than a Titan. I bet she was only using them to have more allies.

"Hey, do you wonder why Instructor Vincent didn't scream at us? Nor Cadet Three, Four, and Five?" Benjamin asked.

"Yeah, now that I think about it."

"Maybe it's because we've seen a close-up of the Titans?"

"But he talked to Felix."

"Because Felix pissed him off." He had a point.

"Should we talk to them?"

"If you want. I don't see why, though," Benjamin sighed. I noticed Felix shoot a glance to me and Benjamin, quickly turning back to Anna Belle when he saw me look back at him.

"Felix is practically bird-watching us," I groaned, crossing my arms. Benjamin chuckled, smirking at me.

"Why are you even checking on him?"

"Because he's my baby..."

"But you're _not_ his mother." I glared at Benjamin, narrowing my eyes. He glared right back at me. I turned my head and stared at the floor, sighing. I heard him sigh, seeing him reach out his hand to me out of the corner of my eye. I turned a bit to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You need a distraction," he told me, smiling. "Come on." I blushed, placing my hand on top of his. He got out of his seat and I got out of mine. We made eye contact for a second and then I smiled shyly, turning toward the door. We walked from the mess hall, hand in hand, and into the dark outside. He lead me into the woods that surrounded the Trainee Corps's land. We walked for a little while and then stopped. I looked forward and gasped, seeing we were standing on the shore of a small lake with pretty, misty clouds floating right above it. The moonlight shined beautifully among the water, making it emit a purplish glow.

"Wow..." I gasped, taking my hand from Benjamin's and stepping forward. "It's so pretty."

"I know, right?" he replied. "Its beauty reminds me of something."

"What?"

"You." I blushed and turned away, a soft breeze blowing some hair into my face. He walked up to me and wrapped his hands around my waist, pressing his lips against mine and passionately kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. We stood there for about five minutes before I started getting a bit bored. I wrapped my ankle around his and made him trip. He snickered for a moment as I was now laying on top of him. Damn, he was a bad-ass kisser.

**No, they are not going to "screw around". THEY'RE FOURTEEN! &amp; Katrina is not a slut. (This does count as a transition _Felix's POV_)**

I was sitting at a table in the mess hall across from Anna Belle, and I was having a lot of fun. It looked like she enjoyed sharing her time with me, too. Luckily, I picked a table right behind Katrina and Ben's so I could keep a close watch on them. Even though I may be occupied with making friends and stuff, I wouldn't loosen my grip on Katrina's leash. Never. Anna never caught me averting my gaze from her to my sister's table, thankfully.

Benjamin looked like one of those guys who would hang out around alleys and discreetly jump you to steal your money or something. His eyes, unlike most people, didn't tell the truth. If Katrina was lying to me, I could read it in her gaze. Not Ben. He was one of those guys the girls would go gaga over. The bad ones. The quiet ones. The adventurous ones. He was all of those wrapped into one delinquent. Fan-fucking-tastic, right? And the way Katrina told him he'd have her all to himself pushed me closer to my breaking point. Dangerously close. I knew my sister wasn't a whore...but then again, she had never really been close to another male human besides me and our brothers. So, I didn't know what to expect.

"Are you okay, Felix?" Anna Belle asked me. Crap, she must have seen me staring at Katrina and Ben.

"Yeah!" I replied, looking back to her and flashing a smile. "Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I'm hanging out with the coolest girl here." She smiled back, giggling.

"That's a relief," she told me, "because, I haven't really said anything, but I've caught you staring at something behind me a few times." Shit! I thought I was being discreet and all...Goddammit.

"Oh, don't worry about it," I said, laughing nervously. She must have seen through my lies, because she narrowed her eyes a bit and frowned. Damn. It.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Felix?" she asked in a stern tone. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"I just...I need to keep an eye on my sister, who just happens to be sitting at the table in front of us. I'm sorry, I just don't trust that guy she's with," I explained, picking at my food. Anna smiled.

"That's all I needed to hear!" she giggled happily.

"...What?"

"Well if you're going to lie to me, you might want to learn how to keep your eyes from saying you're lying. All I wanted was you to be honest with me, that's all!"

"Oh..." I murmured. A moment passed and suddenly Anna and I started laughing like little kids. Suddenly I caught glimpse of Ben and Katrina standing up from their seats and exiting the mess hall, holding hands. Oh, hell to the no! I watched them leave and stood up, about to follow them before Anna grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

"Hey!" she gasped, keeping me from leaving. I turned to her sharply, fists clenched. "She's how old? Fourteen, fifteen? She can do just as well of a job as you can when it comes to taking care of herself. You aren't her father...let her have a little ounce of freedom once in a while," she scolded. I stared at her in the eye, then glanced back to the door. I sighed, sitting back down and resting my head on my hands.

"I'm sorry, Anna Belle," I murmured. "If you don't want to hang out with me anymore, I'd understand..."

"Are you serious right now?" she asked, laughing. I looked at her with a surprised look on my face. "Being so protective over your sister is _so_ sweet! It just proves how caring and trustworthy you really are, Felix!" I smiled, lifting my head from my hands.

"Really?"

"Yeah! You're a great guy, Felix. But sometimes, us girls need a little space, okay? Leave Katrina to do what she's going to do...she'll love you more for it." She will? I wasn't too sure of what Anna Belle was telling me, but I didn't care. I trusted her, and I think she trusted me. She was...perfect.

I couldn't help but worry about Kat, though. She never left my mind the rest of the night. But, like Anna said, maybe I do need to loosen the leash a bit. Just a bit.

**D'aaawww! I ship Felix &amp; Anna so much...#FelixBelle. Same with Ben &amp; Kat #Ken. Stay tuned for more canoodling ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

**REVIEWS: anonymusblader123 (Good idea ^^)**

_**The Next Day **Katrina's POV_

I yawned, waking up in my not-so-comfortable bunk-bed. Hey, at least the person on the upper bunk doesn't snore, so I shouldn't complain. I turned my head to the right and gasped, seeing Ayaka staring back at me. She must be the person above me. Great. She smirked and pulled her head back up onto her bunk. I sat up and stretched, seeing her climb down the ladder and watching me.

"What, Ayaka?" I murmured, rubbing my eyes.

"What's your name?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip. She even looked pretty with a bed-head.

"Who's asking?" That made her laugh.

"Come on, I don't bite." I snorted, getting out of bed.

"Katrina," I told her. I realized that I didn't have my journal in my hand. My eyes widened and I looked at my bed horrifically. It wasn't there. I whipped my head around to glare at her and saw my journal in her hand. "Give that back!" I demanded.

"Whose is it? I don't recall anyone named Yuka here," she said, opening it to the first page. I walked up to her and snatched it from her hand, gritting my teeth. "Whoa, calm down."

"Whatever." I threw it onto my bed and started looking for a comb or something to maintain my hair. She walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her. She smirked.

"I like you," she said. "You're feisty."

"Not the first time someone's called me that," I sighed, standing up. She was about four inches taller than me. "What's your point?" She chuckled.

"I saw you leave the mess hall with your boy-toy last night." I gasped, blushing. "He's cute."

"I know. I don't share, by the way."

"Oh, no, no, no, nothing like that, silly," she giggled, flashing one of those girly-girl smiles. "I was wondering if you'd like to be an ally. A friend, to put it in nicer terms." I raised an eyebrow, face blank.

"What does this have to do with Benjamin?"

"Ooh! That's his name?"

"Get to the point, blondie."

"Well, I'm only friends with girls that, like me, have a good taste in certain things. Such as guys." I narrowed my eyes.

"Is that the only thing we have in common?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I dunno," she replied, turning around and heading to the door of the female ward. "We'll see during ODM device training. You know, you'd be lucky to have a friend like me. It'll keep your little ass out of trouble." And with that, she left without another word or glance. Whoa, did she just call my ass small? That bitch!

_**Transition**_

I was walking past the male ward when I heard Instructor Vincent yelling at someone. I turned my head a bit and saw it was Benjamin he was yelling at.

"Are you smoking, maggot?" Vincent snarled. Benjamin was leaning against the exterior of the building, holding a cigarette in his mouth. He took it out with too fingers, blowing smoke into the instructor's face.

"No, Sir," he replied with a smirk. "Just inhaling and exhaling nicotine and air that happens to be gray and puffy." Vincent slapped the cigarette from Benjamin's hand and stomped on it, putting it out.

"You'd better hope you impress me in ODM training, boy. Or else you'll regret suckin' on that cancer stick." He walked away. Benjamin turned his head and saw me, smiling and walking toward me. He grabbed a metal box out of his pocket and opened it, holding it out to me. Cigarettes.

"You smoke?"

"Never tried," I replied, pushing it away. He shut the box and stuffed it back in his pocket.

We began walking to the area where people were already lining up for ODM training in silence. When we got there I gasped, seeing Felix struggling with the machine. He didn't fall, but his performance was fluctuating. At one point he was close to falling on his face, the next he would be doing it perfectly. I gulped, watching as Instructor Vincent walked up to him with an unimpressed look in his eye. He blew in Felix's face and he fell over, slamming his head roughly onto the ground. I gasped, about to run to him but being held back by Benjamin putting his arm in front of me. I wasn't sure if he was unconscious or not. I could see him blinking, eyes slowly turning brown.

"What's the matter, Ayumi?" Vincent shouted at him. I heard snickers coming from the crowd of people which were waiting for their turns. "Too difficult for ya?" I wanted to scream at them and tell them to leave my Felix alone. I had to. I opened my mouth to say something when I felt a tug on my arm. I looked to my left and saw Ayaka staring at me.

"Leave him alone," she told me quietly.

"Huh?"

"We have another thing in common, Katrina," she said. "We both have little siblings who think they can face the real world without us, when we both know they can't."

"Exactly, that's why I have to stand up for him!" I insisted, pulling my arm from her grasp.

"Or!" she snorted, standing in front of me. "Let him figure out that he _does_ need you. If you keep babying him against his will then he'll start to hate you. But if he understands that he can't survive without his big sister, he'll come crawling back to you and never leave your side again. Think about it. I'm doing the same with Anna."

"But -"

"No buts," she sighed, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Leave him be. Unless you want your baby brother to keep you in the darkest place of his heart." Ayaka walked away, toward her herd of guys. I watched her go, wondering if she was worth listening to. For a skank, she sounded like she knew what she was talking about. I turned to Benjamin, who had a blank expression as he was watching Felix.

"Should I listen to her?" I asked him, turning to watch as my brother walked from the training area to someplace else. I saw Anna Belle follow him and assumed she had done the same job as he had.

"Maybe," Benjamin answered. "You can't be too sure."

"When I was talking with Ayaka, did you look at her?" I asked, turning to face him. He glanced at me, eyebrow raised.

"...Why?"

"Just wondering. Now answer me."

"Um...no?"

"Good answer."

Instructor Vincent turned to look at me and motioned with his head to come. I gulped, nodding. I slowly walked toward the machine, millions of things racing through my mind. Before I knew it I was strapped up and the crank to lift me was slowly turning. I didn't have much trouble keeping steady once I was lifted up. There was almost nothing to it. I saw Ayaka walking to the machine next to me and putting the harness on. I was soon let down and I walked away, passing Benjamin without even giving him a glance.

I saw Felix and Anna Belle sitting together on the steps of the mess hall. Anna was telling Felix something, and his face brightened up and he looked at her. My eyes widened. No...he wouldn't! He did. I watched in terror as he leaned in to kiss her. She kissed him back. I gritted my teeth, wanting to walk over there and rip that bitch's face from my brother's...but I knew this was how Felix must have felt when I left the mess hall with Benjamin last night. I snorted, turning around and walking back to the ODM training area.

_**Transition (I'm not content with the ODM training part...it seems boring ;-;) **Felix's POV_

"Gah!" I gasped as my head hit the ground, hard. I was doing just fine, but then Instructor Vincent had to blow in my face and mess me up. My eyes felt funny for a few seconds. They didn't hurt, nor itch, but they felt as if they were just drenched with water.

"What's the matter Ayumi?" he scoffed, "Too difficult for ya?!" I frowned as I heard snickering from the crowd. To me, they sounded three times louder than they actually were. I felt my harness being unhooked and the rest of me fell onto the ground. I got to my feet instantly and sighed, walking away angrily.

I stopped in front of the mess hall and plopped down on the steps, brushing myself off. Ouch, my head hurt really bad. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Anna Belle running to me, white stuff in her hands. I turned and saw that she was carrying bandages.

"What're those for?" I asked.

"Oh, you can't feel it?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You're sort of bleeding from the back of your head," she said, sitting down next to me. She turned my head to the opposite of where it was facing and began to push the bandages against the base of my skull. I sighed, staring at the ground. "Don't feel bad, Felix," she said, wrapping my head up. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"Everyone was laughing at me," I muttered. "Even Vincent."

"What? No he wasn't."

"Then call me crazy." Things were silent after that, the only things heard were the faint voices coming from the ODM training area.

"You know," Anna said after a while, "I didn't do such a great job with this, either."

"I don't see bandages around your head," I told her. She smacked me softly on my left shoulder.

"But I did fail," she snorted. "You're bandages are done, by the way." I turned my head to her, seeing her staring at the ground.

"You did?"

"Yeah. And I watched with a thorn in my heart as my sister was laughing her ass off at me. But you know what? I'm over it. Because Vincent told the group before you showed up that the failures would have one more chance tomorrow." She looked at me, and we just stared at each other. This might not have been the best time, but I couldn't help myself. I leaned in to attempt to kiss her, hoping she wouldn't back away and think I was a creep or anything. To my surprise, she leaned forward and kissed me back. After about two minutes, I couldn't help but open my eyes just a bit. I caught glimpse of Katrina walking toward the training area. Oh, shit...was she just watching Anna and me? Hey, I'll think of it as revenge for last night. That makes things right again.

_**Transition (#FelixBelle so much) **Katrina's POV_

"Listen up, everyone!" Instructor Vincent shouted. We were standing in rows in front of him, who was standing in front of a four-meter pit. "This course of training should be easy for the agile and strong. But for the clumsy and weak, I hope you don't die! I will assign two people to fight until one is knocked out. Yes, this is also for my amusement of your pain. Who would like to go first?" A few hands shot up instantly. Those, I believed, belonged to the idiot males who thought fighting and showing off their strength was fun.

I was standing in the first row, my nose buried deep in my mother's journal. I couldn't help but read it as Instructor Vincent blabbed on and on about unimportant shit. Suddenly my book was yanked form my hands and thrown into the pit. I gasped, looking up to see Vincent glaring at me. I gulped. "How about you go first, Ayumi?" he asked rhetorically. "Unless you'd rather have that book of yours thrown away?"

"No!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "I'll fight for it! No problem!" Vincent smirked, looking at the crowd for someone to kick my ass.

"Alright, I'll start you off with something easy," he muttered. "Anna Belle! You fight Katrina, eh? As far as I know, you're the easiest opponent anyone could ever wish for!" He turned to me. "Your next opponent won't be so destructible, Ayumi. Remember that."

Before I knew it I was standing on one side in the pit with Anna Belle standing on the other. "Fight!" I heard the crowd yell. Without hesitation I ran up to Anna and socked her right in the face. She squeaked and slammed against the wall, sliding down. I grabbed the collar of her shirt and held her up, bringing my fist back to hit her again. She kicked me in the stomach and sent me to the ground. I pushed myself up and turned, only to be hit in the nose by her small fist. I grabbed her wrist and threw her across the area, sending her into a wall. She gasped as she hit the wall. When she made it to the ground I walked up to her, ready to bitch-slap her if she dared to get up. She didn't.

"Knockout!" I heard Vincent shout. I panted, wiping my nose. Blood was now smeared across my hand. I watched as he hopped into the pit and grabbed Anna, climbing up a small ladder I never noticed. Felix ran to Vincent and offered to take her to the infirmary, I assumed. He nodded and dumped Anna's body into Felix's arms. Vincent looked at me and smirked. "Ready for your next opponent, Ayumi?"

"Let's just get this over with!" I told him.

"Walker!" Vincent called. "You're turn!" Walker? I've never heard of him before. Then again, I barely know more than ten people here. A guy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes entered the pit. He was taller than me, and stronger-looking. Fan-fucking-tastic! _Damn you, Vincent! _I growled in my head. He looked like one of the dim-witted guys that would follow Ayaka around, though. I'm not sure, they all look the same to me.

"Fight!"

Instantly he ran up to me and swung. I ducked and punched him in the abdomen. He took a step back, as if feeling almost no pain with my attack. Shit. He threw another punch toward me, but I grabbed his fist with my hand and tried to push it away. He wasn't dumb, though. While his right hand was occupied he used his other one to try to sock me in the face. He missed by a centimeter, though, and got his hand stuck in the wall. I gasped, raising an eyebrow. He could've easily made that shot! He smirked at me. Ugh, great. He was trying to go easy on me.

"Trying to help me out, eh?" I whispered. "Big mistake." I let go of his right hand and slid under his arm, grabbing him by the hair and smashing his face into the wall. I threw several blows toward his spine before he turned around and punched me in the face. I kept my ground, pressing too fingers against my lip. I glanced at them and saw they were smeared with blood. I glared at my opponent and smirked. "Didn't wanna have to do this, but..." I kicked him right in the crotch. He squealed and fell to his knees. The crowd watching us gasped, some of the guys looking away. I jumped into the air and spun around, slamming my foot against the side of his head. He fell to the ground instantly, passing out.

"Knockout!" Vincent shouted. "Excellent work, Ayumi. Here." He threw my journal to me. I caught it and held it close to my chest. "Drag him out of there, will ya?" he asked. I groaned, grabbing the guy I beat up by the wrist and dragging him across the pit to get to the ladder. I climbed it and threw him onto the side, panting. I got to my feet and brushed myself off, wiping my nose with my wrist. Benjamin walked up to my side and looked at me.

"You okay?" he asked. I glanced at him, a dull look in my eye.

"Why wouldn't I be? Beating up Anna wasn't too hard...same with Walker. Guys are all the same, usually feeling bad for the female opponent and letting them have a free shot. Then they regret it." He went silent. I stared ahead, my journal still clutched tightly in my hands.

"...You really care about that journal, huh?" he asked after a moment. I didn't bother looking at him.

"It may have killed my brother," I murmured, shutting my eyes. "But it's the only thing I have left that keeps me going."

_**Transition** Felix's POV_

After Katrina had beaten the crap out of Anna Belle I was left gawking, staring down into the pit. "Knockout!" Vincent had shouted. Once he carried her from the pit I asked him if I could run her to the infirmary. He let me, but only if I hurried back. So I carried her to the infirmary and laid her in the first bed I found. I lingered for a moment, not wanting to leave until she woke up, but I couldn't risk getting on bad terms with the instructor. So I left after ten minutes.

"Knockout!" I heard again as I finally reached my destination. I saw Katrina standing over the numb body of a strong-looking dude. Damn, she wasn't kidding about that journal. I watched as she climbed out of the pit, dragging the guy with her, and walked back into the first row next to Ben. I narrowed my eyes, turning to the instructor. He was scanning the crowd, looking for someone to get beaten senseless next.

"Instructor Vincent?" I asked him quietly. He turned and glared at me.

"What, Ayumi?"

"I volunteer to fight next." His eyes widened, a small smirk spreading across his face.

"Oh? You think you're a big shot, don't you? A real tough guy."

"Not at all, Sir. I just have some unfinished business with one of my fellow cadets." We glared at each other for a moment. Finally he sighed, a bored look shadowing his face.

"Fine. You'll fight -"

"Benjamin," I interrupted. He gasped, looking at me and laughing.

"You want to fight Yoshiki? He's ten times your strength!"

"I don't care." Vincent shrugged, smirking.

"Fine. But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain." He faced the crowd. "Next in the pit is Yoshiki and Ayumi! The blonde Ayumi." I jumped into the pit and breathed, wondering if I made the right decision. It didn't matter, it was too late now. I glanced up to see Ben jump into the pit, leaning against the opposite wall of mine. I also caught glimpse of Katrina's bloody, yet distressed, face. I narrowed my eyes at her. She gasped, slowly shaking her head as tears were filling her eyes. I ignored her plead and faced forward, glaring at Ben.

"Fight!" the crowd yelled. I could hear Katrina whispering _no_, but I let the thought escape my mind as Ben and I ran toward each other. My eyes felt funny again. I swung at his face but he slid under it and tackled me into the wall. He threw three blows to my face before I socked him in the chin, feeling a crack. I think I broke his jaw. He stumbled backward and tripped over his own feet, holding his mouth. I walked up to him and grabbed the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the wall. With my free hand I socked him constantly in the stomach until he grabbed the back of my neck and slammed my face into the wall. He ripped my head from the dirt and then smashed it back in. I reached my hand behind me and grabbed onto his neck, pushing him against the wall. I freed my head from his grasp and pressed my other hand against his throat. He grabbed my wrists and tried to pull them off, but I was too strong. Too determined. Too...bloodthirsty. I yanked him from the wall and threw him onto the ground. He was about to get up, but I grabbed his ankle and threw him into another wall. He got up weakly and charged at me, pinning me against a wall and throwing several punches to my face and abdomen.

"Stop the fight!" I heard Katrina beg Instructor Vincent. "They're going to kill each other!"

"Well that's too bad, Ayumi," Vincent told her. "Both of these boys are acting like rabid dogs fighting over a piece of meat. Let 'em be." Suddenly I couldn't hear anymore as I felt another blow to the face. All I heard was ringing. I was about to kick Ben in the stomach when suddenly his grip loosened and his eyes widened. He fell to the floor, leaving Katrina in his place. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she stared at me. She said something, but I couldn't hear it because of my sudden deafness. I stared blankly ahead, not even quite aware of what was going on. She wrapped her arms around me and held me close, petting the back of my head as she fell to her knees. All I remember after that was seeing the blood splotches all around the walls and the ground. Once I closed my eyes, I saw Calem with his arms crossed. He smiled at me, giving me a thumbs-up and saying "Well done, Baby Bro." I fainted.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

I was practically bawling as I was sitting on the edge of Felix's bed in the infirmary. I can't believe the fight between him and Benjamin went on for so long. I forced myself to forget most of it, but what I remember is what I had to do with it.

_**Flashback**_

I jumped into the pit and walked up to Benjamin, who was beating my brother senseless. I shrieked as I slammed my fist against the side of his head. Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I watched him fall. _I'm sorry,_ I cried on the inside. I turned to look at Felix. His eyes were the lightest blue I've ever seen! They were as cold and threatening as ice. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" I cried, wrapping my around around him and petting his hair, falling to my knees. I sobbed, holding my Felix tightly in my arms. "Felix..." I whispered. I felt him gain weight, and my heart sank as I realized it must have been dead weight. He had passed out. I sobbed harder, refusing to let go as I heard some voices behind me telling me to.

_**Back to Reality**_

I buried my face into his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. I can't believe he would make me chose who to protect. It was the hardest decision of my entire life. The moment my fist met Benjamin's skull I regretted it and my heart ripped in half. I hope he understands and forgives me. I doubt it, though. Suddenly I felt Felix's arm move. I lifted my face and saw him waking up, blinking. His eyes turned from icy blue to regular blue as he looked up at me.

"...Ka...t?" he murmured, not strong enough to even pronounce my nickname. "Why are you...crying? Where...am I?"

"Shh," I whispered, petting his head. He shut his eyes. "You're in the infirmary, Felix," I told him, wiping away my tears. "You and Benjamin were fighting over me, remember?" He groaned.

"Yeah...I do. Did...did I w-win?"

"Neither of you won, sweetie," I said, sniffling. "You were about to lose, but I couldn't let Benjamin do that to you. So...I got into the pit and knocked him out to protect you. Please, don't be angry with me. I...I was only trying to help!" Tears were flooding my eyes once more. I laid my head on his chest. "I love you more than anyone else in the world, Felix." I was calmed down a bit by listening to his heartbeat. I felt him petting the back of my head and smiled.

"I'm not mad, Kat," he said weakly. "I'm happy that, for once, you chose me over him." Things were silent after that. I wanted to say something else...but there was nothing left to say. Felix was happy...I was happy. I just hoped the conflict between my brother and my boyfriend would end. Wait...did I just call him my boyfriend? Hm...me like.

**Cute. Kat &amp; Felix r so adorbs ^^ If they weren't siblings, I would ship them. Dramatic questions: Did Katrina make the right decision? Will Benjamin understand? Will Felix and Benjamin ever like each other? Will Ayaka ever stop being a whore? Is there something more valuable than facts about Wall Naomi and Titans in the journal? Stay tuned for answers! **


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter...oh wait I didn't get any ;-;**

_**Flashback** Calem's POV_

"Calem!" Katrina yelled at me. I gasped, turning around and shutting the book I was reading behind my back. Today was my fifteenth birthday and I assumed she was bothering me only to give me a present. Or a hug...which was usually my present every year, now that I think about it.

I was reading my mother's journal, scanning through to see what pain could have pushed her to the breaking point so far that it caused her to take her own life four years ago. Then I found a page that was nearly ripped out, but still intact. It read about a serum that can transform a normal human being into a..._shifter_...of some sort. Apparently, there was an injectant of that stuff in Mother's nightstand. It didn't state where or whom she obtained it from, but there was only enough for one person. I was going to read more, but then Katrina interrupted me.

"Happy birthday!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around my waist. For a nine-year-old, she was still pretty short...or I was abnormally tall. Same difference. "Guess what I got you!" Whoa, she actually got me something? _Don't get your hopes up, Cal,_ I told myself. _She played the same card on you last year._ I sighed, kneeling down to her level and smiling.

"What?"

"_Guess_!" she insisted, jumping up and down. I chuckled, rubbing my thumb and index finger along my invisible beard.

"Is it expensive?" I couldn't help but ask. She smiled devilishly.

"_Maaaay_-be!" she giggled. My eyes widened. Oh, God, don't tell me she's going into a thieving stage. I had to deal with Robin last month with the same problem. He got over it quickly, though.

"Did you _pay_ for it?"

"Nope!" I squeezed the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, cursing in my head. I glared back to my sister and saw her holding out a silver ring with a "K" engraved on it. I stared at in in silence for a moment until Katrina became impatient. She grabbed my right hand and slid it onto my pinky, smiling innocently. "Perfect fit!" she squeaked.

"What does the 'K' stand for?" I asked, observing the piece of jewelery that was now stuck on my finger.

"Calem, silly!" she said. "What else would it stand for?" I couldn't help but laugh, resting my hand on her cheek. "Do you like it?"

"It's a great gift, Katrina, especially since it came from you...but where did you get this?"

"Easy! I walked up to a lady standing behind a jewelery stand and asked her for the cheapest thing she's got. She gave me a ring and told me it was near worthless, since it was engraved unprofessionally. I told her I didn't have any money and flashed my adorable little girl smile and she gave it to me for free!" Well, it wasn't quite stealing, but it was an inch closer than before. I heard Felix calling for Katrina and she bolted outside without another word. I rolled my eyes and got back to work with Mother's journal.

I walked into her abandoned room and looked around for a nightstand. Nothing. What?! I opened to the page where the coordinates of the injectant were. Then I remembered something. My mother was always one for riddles, always meaning something absurd when saying simple phrases. I also remember how she used to sleepwalk. Nightstand...nightstand...night stand...place to stand during the night...near window. Whenever I would hear bumping into walls I knew it was my mother, so I would peek through the door to check if she was alright and she would usually be standing at the window. I walked to the further wall and toward the window, stepping onto a loose board in the floor. Bingo! I knelt down and yanked the floorboard from the rest and placed it beside me. There it was, the needle in which contained the strange serum. I read more about it and saw that Mother wanted to inject one of us, her children, with it to make them become powerful. She didn't know which one, though. She debated over and over again between the two youngest: Felix and Katrina. Finally it read that she decided to inject Katrina with half of the liquid and Felix with the other, hoping the results wouldn't backfire. That part of the entry stops there. I stared at the shot and sighed, running a hand through my hair. I had to fulfill my mother's wish. Did I really have any other choice? It would only be right...right? I got a small headache and rubbed my temples.

"Dammit, Mother!" I hissed under my breath. "You were always sort of confusing..."

_**Transition**_

I decided it was necessary to fulfill my mother's wish and inject Katrina and Felix with the serum. I waited until it was nighttime, the only time the house didn't have two screaming brats running around and they were practically out cold during slumber. I waited for everyone to go to bed before I crept back into Mother's room and grabbed the injectant. It was now or never.

I slowly entered Katrina's room and saw her deeply asleep, snoring like a little puppy. I gulped, shakily walking closer and closer to the side of her bed. It was extremely difficult to even imagine inflicting any pain on her, even if she was asleep and probably not able to feel it. I breathed heavily and calmed myself down, grabbing her arm. I read in the journal that it doesn't matter where the needle is injected, just as long as it's nowhere near the heart, brain, or sexual organs. I aimed the needle for the palm of her wrist and squinted, not wanting to shut my eyes entirely. I slowly pierced her flesh with the needle and injected her with less than half of the serum. I couldn't take the fact that I was technically causing her discomfort, so I quickly yanked it out as soon as ¼ of the liquid entered her bloodstream. I exhaled the breath that I had no idea I was holding and felt a bead of sweat fall down my cheek.

Why the fuck was I so nervous about doing this? I shook the thought from my head, thinking that I just cared for Katrina too much. Felix's room next. Hooray.

I did the exact same thing, and wasn't as nervous. I hoped that the amount difference between the two wasn't a bad choice. What would they be able to shift into now, anyways? I opened the journal again as I walked to my room, resting the empty vile on my dresser. My eyes widened. Oh no...no, no, no, no! I wanted to yell, instantly regretting my decision. _I knew something about this wasn't right!_ I shouted in my head. _Goddammit, Mother! What were you thinking?!_ My baby sister and brother were now able to transform into Titans at their own free will. I mustn't tell them anything about this...the longer this fact is hidden, the better.

_**Transition (Back to the Present) **Katrina's POV_

It has been a year since ODM training, and, luckily, Felix and most of the other failures passed. Even Anna Belle...great. Those who failed once more were sent away and are now probably being ridiculed by family and acquaintances.

Benjamin had a hard time forgiving me after what happened during his tussle with my brother, but we eventually made up with another make out session in the woods. The tension between him and Felix was at its harshest, and it refused to die down until I stepped in. It would usually flare up during meal time in the mess hall, starting with Felix being caught bird-watching us again by Benjamin. Then he would get up, followed by Felix getting up, then they would spew out harsh words and threats, and eventually I would get in between them and either slap or threaten one of them or both of them. Average day in the life of Katrina Ayumi can be explained by merely that.

It was now nighttime, and most were eating their last meal of the day in the mess hall. I tried to keep Benjamin's attention from my brother to prevent a fight. It was highly unlikely that I could succeed, though. I kept shooting glances to Felix to make sure he gets the message to stop watching us...and of course he's completely oblivious. Boys.

"Hi!" I heard a bright voice say. I was too concentrated on the possible fight between the guys that I hadn't even noticed Cadet Three stand at the side of the table I was sitting at. I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "You're Cadet Eight, right? Cadet Ayumi?"

"Er...yeah," I told her, sitting up straight. "Why?"

"Well...I remember on the first day when Vincent was yelling at us, he skipped you. I've been meaning to talk to you, since we have something in common...which would mean that he skipped me, too, which he did...but I've been kind of shy." I stared at her blankly, the thought of bloodshed still fresh in my brain. "What's your name?"

"Katrina. You?"

"Violet Satoshi. I've been hanging out with everyone else that was skipped, and was wondering if you and your boyfriend would like to join our little clique?" she offered, smiling. I thought for a moment, glancing at Benjamin. He shrugged. I thought of it as a distraction from the conflict and smiled back at Violet.

"Sure." Instantly she grabbed my wrist and dragged me from my seat across the room to another table full of girls. They stared at me curiously.

"Girls!" Violet squeaked, "This is Katrina Ayumi, that girl I was telling you about." Damn, she was too cheerful for my taste. One girl with extremely pale skin and deep black hair stood up and scanned me. Her right eye was a spooky dark gray, while the other was bright red with a pink scar across it. "That's Luna Freedman," Violet whispered in my ear. "She's kind of the most bad ass person here. There's a rumor going around that she killed ten Titans with a homemade sword before she was put into the Trainee Corps." Even if it's just a rumor, I have to admit that's pretty bad ass. Luna glared at me in the eye, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She gave me a small smile, if even a smile at all, and sat back down.

"I like her," she said quietly. Violet clapped excitedly, practically pushing me into a seat next to a red-brown haired girl. Cadet Five. She sat on the other side of me.

"The girl next to you is Shauna Kris," Violet told me, stuffing food into her mouth. "Then you know Luna, and then Jackie Finch. Across from us is Maya Clark, then Opal Keisuke, then Lily Hart, and then Nina and Penelope Star."

"Hey, Katrina?" I heard Nina say ask. "Were you skipped like Violet told us?"

"Yeah."

"Told you!" Violet snorted. Nina snickered, flipping her dark brown hair.

"Just testin' your theory," she said, yawning with a smile. She laid her hazel eyes on me. "What's your story?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"Damn, you're slow." Penelope stabbed her in the ribs. "Ouch! What the fuck, Penny?"

"Not everyone can put up with your behavior, Nina," she sighed, green eyes focused on her hands. "Sometimes I must remind you."

"Anyway," Nina snorted, redirecting her attention to me, "why are you here? And what's so important about that book of yours?" She pointed at it, which was tightly gripped in my hand. "I remember you practically castrating Scott Walker over it." His name was Scott? Interesting...no, snap out of it, Kat!

"I'm here because it has always been a dream of mine to join the Scout Regiment," I began, leaving out the part about Wall Naomi, "and this book happens to be my mother's journal. It's basically the only thing that keeps me from going insane."

"Can I see it?"

"Nope."

"Aw, you're no fun." Nina pouted playfully. The difference between her and her sister's personalities were immensely obvious. Nina was one of the tomboys, not giving a damn about most things...such as manners and other people's feelings. Penelope was a well-mannered, intelligent, and calm specimen that tried to control her sister's actions, but usually failed miserably. At least that's what I could assume from what I witnessed at the table. Suddenly Luna burst out laughing, covering her mouth to hide her wide grin. I turned and glared at her.

"What?" I asked after she calmed herself. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes, a smirk on her face.

"You say it keeps you from going insane," she said, not averting her gaze one bit, "but think about the big picture, here. Insanity is just another word for normal, for some people. And normality is quite insane, if you ask me. Being different gives everyone else the right to ridicule you, to hurt you, to make you feel like shit. But the thing is, they are simply just jealous. Crazy, insane, twisted, paranoid, sick, mad. All words for unique. Tell yourself I'm just blabbing on about shit you don't need to hear, but remember one thing. If you're normal, you are instantly my worst enemy." Things went quiet after that, except for the other noise surrounding us. All the girls were staring at either Luna or me. I narrowed my eyes. Luna's smirk turned into a crazed grin, and she held out her hand. "No hard feelings, Katrina. When I said I liked you, that meant that you weren't close enough to normal for my disliking. I want to let you know that I see you as another ally, an acquaintance. Then again, if you want to be my _friend_, I might have to think about that." I didn't want to be enemies with a girl who supposedly slaughtered ten Titans with an unprofessionally made weapon, so I grabbed her hand and shook it, yanking my arm away after five seconds. She snickered, turning back to the rest of the table.

**OMG LUNA REMINDS ME OF JEFF THE KILLER SO MUCH -fangirl scream- (This does NOT count as a transition)**

I averted my gaze from the girls to the table in front of us, full of guys. I saw Benjamin in the horde. "That's the skipped-guys table," Violet told me. "Looks like your boyfriend is quick at making friends."

"All males are," I said. "They're too stupid to realize good from evil until its a tad too late." Violet jerked her head back a bit, surprised by what I said.

"Are you alright?" she asked. I turned to her and smiled, shaking the weight of the confrontation with Luna from my shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry...Luna just got to me a bit."

"She does it to all people she meets, trust me." I looked ahead to see Scott staring at me with his dark brown eyes and smiling. He winked. I blushed, looking away. Gulp...

Mealtime lingered for longer than I hoped it to. Luckily, though, Felix and Benjamin stayed out of each others...and my...hair. He didn't bird-watch me as much as he would have if I had stayed sitting with Benjamin.

_**Transition (...I can't help it but #Scatrina # Kott ^^)**_

"Hey," I heard Benjamin's silky voice on my left side as I was walking to the female ward. I turned an inch and gave him a small smile, continuing my walk. "You like your new friends?"

"Yeah, actually...Violet was _way_ too peppy for my taste, though. You like yours?"

"They're practically my brothers, and it was only one night," he snickered, stopping immediately when I showed no other reaction than a mumble. "What's the matter?" I glanced at him, stopping.

"This girl, Luna, just got on my nerves, is all," I sighed, crossing my arms and not facing him. "She's kind of creepy. Her left eye is a glowing red with a fresh-looking scar across it...whilst her right one is a dull gray. Something about her just isn't right." Benjamin put his hand under my chin, turning my head to face him. I didn't make eye contact.

"That can't be all...you're acting strange." I bit my lip, turning around. I couldn't tell him about the Scott thing. Like he said, him and his new friends were practically brothers...I couldn't ruin it for him. "Katrina, tell me, please."

"It's nothing," I insisted dully. "I...I have to go." Without another word or glance I walked the short distance to the female ward, throwing open the door and entering, letting it slam behind me. I sighed, dragging myself to my bed and letting my body collapse onto it.

"Hey, Kitty Kat!" I heard a cheerful voice chirp. I groaned silently, not wanting to deal with Violet right now. "Mind if I call you that?"

"In public, yes I mind very much," I grumbled, laying my arm over my eyes.

"Guess what!"

"What?"

"I switched bunks with Ayaka...and then switched with Nina because she said she'd give me half of her food tomorrow morning. So, you're new sleeping-bestie is Nina! Yay!"

"Thanks for the update, Violet," I mumbled, slowly nodding off. I felt a sharp pinch on my thigh and squealed, sitting up immediately. "What the hell?!" I growled.

"Now is no time to sleep, silly!" she giggled. I gritted my teeth and sighed, trying to calm down. How oblivious can a person be?

"What is it time for, then?"

"Well, I was hoping we could just...girl talk, you know? I wanna get to know you better, Kitty Kat!" she offered, smiling. I put on a small smile and yawned, scooting over and patting the spot next to me. She gasped, crawling onto the bed and sitting beside me.

"So, what'dya wanna talk about?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"What does your mom talk about in her journal?" Violet asked. Whoa, deep question, girly. I stared at her for a minute, wondering whether to answer or not. I breathed, grabbing my journal and rubbing my thumbs along the bottom edges. I was surprised that the leather was still fresh and not worn out.

"She talks about her young life," I began, starting with the earliest chapters. "Her childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and the ups and downs of marriage. She talks about how wonderful she thought children were, that is until she had her fourth...which would be my brother, Felix. She wrote about the Titans, and how fascinating she thought they were. She even said she wanted one as a pet, describing how she would tame and feed it. She went on and on about every dream she ever experienced...the detail is almost breathtaking. I never knew a woman with such a cheery, grateful personality would wind up killing herself..." I trailed off, staring at the journal. I felt like I should have been at least tearing up, but there was nothing in my eyes but a blank haze. Violet stared at me solemnly, resting her hand on my wrist. I didn't glance at her, but I blinked in acknowledgment.

"Everyone has their own demons," she sighed. "They usually hide them in the depths of their soul, but sometimes the demons get fussy and refuse to be ignored." I averted my gaze from the journal to Violet, smiling.

"You know, you're a good friend, Violet." I don't know where that came from...since what she said wasn't that comforting. It was kind of scary, thinking that I have monsters inside me just waiting for the right moment to come out and make me want to do things I wouldn't usually want to do.

"Thanks, Kitty Kat!" she squeaked, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "You're not too bad yourself!"

"Er...thanks." She yawned, suddenly tired. Okay, this girl was almost as bonkers as Luna. One minute she's as hyper as a five year old on caffeine, and the next she's as exhausted as a hangover. She patted me on the shoulder and got off of my bed, walking to hers. I rolled my eyes, shifting myself so my head was pressed against the cold pillow. I practically purred in comfort. I held the journal above my face to read until I was tired, and then Nina and Penelope came in arguing.

"So I was checking him out, so what?!" Nina was complaining loudly to her sister.

"You've forgotten already?" Penelope groaned, face-palming. "First of all, he's quite the player. Second of all, he's...you know!" Nina stared at her blankly. Her sister sighed, cupping a hand around the side of her mouth and whispering it to her.

"Oh! Heh, how could I forget?" she giggled, whipping her sister's face with her hair.

"Dammit, Nina," she muttered, storming off to her bunk.

"What was _that_ about?!" I asked as Nina came close enough for me to talk to her without yelling. She snickered, leaning against the ladder.

"I was checking out Scott in front of Penny and she got pissed off," she replied running a hand through her straight hair.

"Does she like him or something?" She rose a finger to her lips and smirked, hazel eyes glowing in the dim light.

"These lips are sealed, sister," she said, climbing up the ladder. "Let's just say, he is _so_ not her type. Like she said, he's a player...a big one. Especially with girls that are off the market. So watch your ass." I giggled, going back to reading.

When I turned the page, a loose one fell onto my face. It looked worn out and as if it had been crumpled up and thrown away before. I put the journal down and sat up, reading the top of the page. The words were scribbled out, but I could identify the letters _T_,_ A_,_ S_,_ F_, and_ R_. I yawned, my body trying to force me to put down the page and go to sleep. I just had to read the first paragraph, then I would stop. _Eureka! I finally found the unique serum that can transform any human being into a shifter! I'm too cautious to write down whom I obtained this scientific breakthrough from, in case this book falls into the wrong hands. _I couldn't help but go on, no matter how heavy my eyelids were. _I poured the liquid into a needle and hid it __under__ the nightstand. I still have no clue which of my beloved children I should inject it with, though. I couldn't do it to Calem, that would __make it look like I cherished the first born more than the other three. Robin is too immature, reckless, lazy...not good qualities to have if you're a shifter. That __just__ leaves Katrina, my beloved angel, and Felix, the Momma's Boy. __Rrgh! It's so confusing! They both have the potential to be well educated shifters, but there is only enough serum for one human. _My eyes widened. A shifter? What kind of shifter...? _I think I've got it...the answer to my problem! I will inject Katrina with half of it, and Felix with the other half. It's the perfect resolution! I just pray to God that the effects are the same as they would be if the entire vile was injected into their system. I'm still unsure about my decision, but it's worth a try. As long as I remember to do it when they're asleep and to NOT inject them anywhere near the heart (If injected near the heart, the serum will take over the organ and make the human injected with it feel a forever-lasting craving for human flesh and blood), brain (If injected near the brain, the serum will take over the organ and make the human injected with it become as dumb and ignorant as a Titan), or sexual organs (If injected near the sexual organs, the serum will take over them and cause forever-lasing infertility), then things should be completely fine! Ooh...I can't wait until my two babies discover their Titan forms and help aid humanity!_ On the back of the page was a well-drawn picture of a shot filled with some sort of substance colored black with pencil. I gulped, opening the journal and stuffing the paper in. I slammed it shut, breathing shallowly. I raised my wrist slowly and pulled the sleeve down, staring at my flesh. There was a small, pink circle on my vein with a red dot in the middle. Calem always told me it was just a birthmark, but I always wondered. Now there's no need to wonder. It is the scar that reminds me that I am half human...and half Titan.

**I don't feel like ending it there...but it does seem like a good place to end e-e. Screw it...I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**REVIEWS (YAY): Guest {1} (That chapter loved you, too ^^), Guest {2} (What waiting game o_o), &amp; Guest {3} (Patience, child). You never know if it's the same person or not :I. Does anyone else get reminded of AOT by the song "Fly on the Wall" by Thousand Foot Krutch?**

_Katrina's POV_

My eyes opened a bit and I looked around the room. My vision was fuzzy and everything was dark except for one candle next to the door. Dangerous place to put it, if you ask me. From what I can recall, I was lost in a dreamless oasis of sleep until I heard a whisper. I rubbed my eyes and looked up, seeing Nina looking down at me from her bunk. She smiled devilishly and pulled her head back. I sighed, covering my eyes with my arm as I heard her climb down the ladder. She poked my cheek.

"Katrina," she whispered. "Wake up!" I grabbed the blanket I was sleeping under and pulled it over my head.

"No."

"Come on," she pleaded, yanking the blanket from my body and letting it fall onto the floor. I shivered and glared at her.

"What for?" I asked. She smirked.

"I wanna play a prank on...a few people." This caught my attention.

"Who?" Nina looked behind her and quickly turned her head back to me.

"Scott and your boyfriend."

"First of all, his name is Benjamin. Second of all, why?"

"Because if we don't prank them first, they'll prank us hard."

"I don't understand," I told her. "Why would those two prank us?" She smiled, chuckling a bit.

"It's sort of a little tradition we have to play a nasty prank on the newbies in our groups...it makes our jobs easier when there are two and they are of different genders and just happen to be dating," she explained. I giggled.

"Alright, what's the plan?"

_**Transition**_

"Shh!" Nina whispered to me as she slowly opened the door to the male ward. I nodded, not being able to hide the small grin creeping upon my lips. Before we entered she turned to face me and held out a piece of paper. "You know the plan, right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, grabbing the paper. "We sneak in, wake 'em up subtly, leave the note by their faces, then leave." She nodded quickly, entering the building. I looked around, narrowing my eyes at how untidy the floor was. I shuddered, trying to avoid stepping in clothes or food crumbs. Finally I reached Benjamin's bed. Aw, he was so cute and peaceful when he was asleep. I opened the folded paper I held in my hand and read it over. _Meet me by the lake, pronto! ~Katrina._ I placed it by his face and brushed my fingers across his cheek, hoping that would be enough to wake him. I heard a _smack _and then a _thump_ coming from the other side of the room and looked up, seeing Nina running toward the door. She motioned with her hand frantically for me to follow her. I ran to the door and we exited, letting it close softly behind us. She panted, leaning against the wall. "What was that noise I heard?" I whispered.

"I slapped Scott's shoulder and he sort of slammed his head against the wall...no biggie," she told me, chuckling. I heard footsteps from inside the building and made a run for it to the woods, Nina close behind.

"You aren't too subtle, are you?" I asked, panting.

"Depends on the importance of the mission," she said. Eventually we stopped by the lake and took a breather. I had barely broken a sweat, while Nina was practically passed out on the ground, groaning with exhaustion. "I never wanna run that fast or that far...ever again!"

"It could be worse, we could have an abnormal chasing us."

"Don't make me think about exercise!" she scolded. I giggled, walking up to her and pulling her up by the shoulders.

"What did your note say?" I asked her. She cleared her throat, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Notes don't speak, Katrina," she said matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes. "My note _read_: Come to the lake in the forest or I'll tell everyone you're gay." I gasped. She laughed evilly.

**I have nothing against gay people, I totally support gay rights so please don't go ranting about what Nina's note read.**

"That's one way to lead a horse to water," I laughed. We heard footsteps.

"Speak of the devil," Nina hissed playfully, a smirk inching its way onto her mouth. "You know what to do." She turned around and climbed up the tree she was leaning on, sitting atop a high branch. I ran to a tree two meters away and attempted to climb it, but slid down. I cursed under my breath and jumped as high as I could, grabbing onto a flimsy branch. I pulled myself up and grabbed a stronger one before the other branch broke, falling onto the ground. I sat on the branch and breathed, looking down.

"Hey, you don't think the girls are pranking us, do you?" I heard Benjamin's voice ask from far away.

"They have to be, if it was really something important than the both of us wouldn't be going to the same place. And Nina would have said so in the note instead of putting a threat," Scott's voice answered sharply. Nina made an owl noise, sending me hand signals. I nodded, taking a deep breath. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but not loud enough for anyone outside of the woods to hear me.

"That's Katrina's voice!" Benjamin gasped, his footsteps becoming fast and heavy.

"Dude, slow down! It's a prank!" Scott told him, running after him. I glanced at Nina and nodded, sliding down the tree. I sat at the base and tore at my shirt, ripping apart my left sleeve and tearing off a chunk from the tail. I tucked them under some leaves and ran my hands through my hair, messing it up. I curled into a ball and shivered, trying to make myself fake cry. I began to think of Calem, and that did the job.

"Katrina!" I heard Benjamin say, running to my side and kneeling. "What happened?!" I looked up at him with watery eyes and tried to not think about the plan, or else a wide smile would give the act away. I sat up and shuddered, panting.

"I was...attacked," I explained, out of breath. Scott stood behind Benjamin, running a hand through his hair and observing my state. "By...h-her!" I shrieked, pointing into the thick woodland behind the boys. They turned their heads to look to where I was pointing and we only able to catch a glimpse of a black cloak fluttering behind a tree.

"Who?" Scott asked, turning back to face me. I swallowed, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Have you two ever heard the story of..." I hesitated, trying to think of a name. "Minato Chiaki?" They raised their eyebrows. I sighed. "Well, long story short, she's a demon empress that haunts the souls of innocent teenagers because she was crazy and murdered her fifteen-year-old daughter and sixteen-year-old son, thinking that they were mocking her mercilessly. So...I just happen to be visited by her in the woods while I was waiting for you, Benjamin." They stared at me, a questioning look in Scott's eye. I glared at him. "I'm not lying! This prank thing has gone to your head!"

"How'd you know about the pranks?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Nina told me, dumb ass." He frowned. Suddenly a raven's caw was heard in the background, a black feather falling next to Benjamin. I gasped, pressing my back against the tree. "Minato's spirit animal is a raven..."

"Scott, stay with Katrina, I'm going to look around," Benjamin told him, standing up.

"Dude, you're buying this?" Scott asked. Benjamin whispered something in his ear, earning a nod in reply. "Fine." He walked to where the cloak was being blown by the wind behind a tree, grabbing it and yanking at it. He walked back to us and dropped the fabric at my feet. Out of nowhere a pocket knife was thrown at me, scraping the side of my cheek before planting itself firmly into the bark beside my head. I squealed, attempting to bring my hands up to my face to hold my injury, but I pretended they were stuck to the ground.

"I-I can't move my hands!" I cried, straining my neck to the side. I widened my eyes, feeling my pupils dilate. Then the cloak rose into mid-air and covered my face, wrapping around my throat. I tilted my head to make the blood from my cheek seep into my mouth, rubbing it around my lips with my tongue. This prank was going so fucking well, I was almost surprised! The cloak was pulled from my face by Scott and he gasped, seeing my crazed eyes and bloody grin. I stood up instantly and grabbed the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the tree. I wrapped a hand around his throat, squeezing tight enough to keep him from making any other noise but a grunt. I felt Benjamin's hand on my arm, yanking me off of Scott. I fell to the ground, getting back to my feet in a heartbeat. He threw a punch, but I caught it in with my hand, pushing him back. He tried again with his free hand, but again I caught it. I pressed him against the tree and leaned in, my eyes and grin widening. I had to stifle a laugh as Benjamin shrieked, flinching as I was about two inches from his face. I couldn't help myself...these boys have been through enough. I planted a quick kiss on his cheek and backed away. I broke into an unstoppable laughter, clutching my stomach and falling to my knees.

"I knew it was a fucking prank!" Scott said, failing to hide a shudder of fear. I wiped a tear from my eyes and wiped my mouth and cheek, blood smearing on the back of my hand.

"They why are you shaking?" I asked, continuing to laugh. "Big boy got scared?" Nina came up behind me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, the black cloak resting on her shoulder.

"You two are pathetic!" Nina cackled.

"Hey!" Scott growled, walking up to her and shoving her gently. "How was I supposed to know Katrina was a spectacular actress?" Nina smirked, shoving him back a bit harder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were indirectly flirting with her, Scotty," she said. Scott's cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Hah...you and you're stories," he chuckled nervously, patting her head.

"Ouch! You pulled my hair!"

"Whoops." I giggled, feeling Benjamin's arms wrap around me.

"I have to agree with Scott on that one," he said, running his thumb gently across my new scar. "You really had me thinking you were possessed." I noticed he had a red stain on his cheek from where I kissed him and smiled. I turned to Nina and tilted my head in Benjamin's direction. She raised an eyebrow. I stuck the tip of my tongue out. She widened her eyes, smiling.

She mouthed, "You wouldn't!"

"You want me to?" I mouthed back. She nodded eagerly.

"What are you girls talking about?" Scott asked, crossing his arms. I turned to Benjamin.

"Turn your face, I wanna tell you something," I told him. He did and leaned down a bit so my face could reach his ear. I grabbed his chin to keep his head in place and ran my tongue across the stain. His face turned bright red. I laughed, walking up to Nina and linking my arms with hers. We began to walk away.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" she said loudly, hip-bumping me. I bumped her back and we laughed together.

**That escalated quickly. (This counts as a transition)**

"Then what happened!?" Violet squeaked, eyes wide with interest. It was breakfast time and everyone was packed into the mess hall. Nina was telling our prank story to the girls and they were eating it up.

"Then Katrina slammed Ben against the tree and closed in on him. She was only two inches from his face before he screamed like a little girl!" she snickered, putting her feet on the table and crossing them at the ankles. Penelope made a face and swatted her knee.

"Manners!" she hissed. Nina stuck her tongue out at her and flicked her nose.

"I don't give a shit!" Nina hissed back, a taunting smile on her face. I chuckled, looking down. My journal was resting under my palms on the table. I couldn't help but glance at the scar on my wrist, biting my lip and looking away. I needed to tell Felix ASAP. I excused myself and walked over to Felix's table, tapping him on the shoulder and interrupting his conversation with Anna Belle.

"Felix, may I talk to you?" I asked, not even bothering to give Anna a parcel of my attention.

"Sure!" he said, looking up at me. A moment passed and I mentally face-palmed.

"In private...outside," I added on, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. "_Now_."

"Kat, I'm -"

"It's important!" I growled behind gritted teeth. His eyes told me he understood and he turned to Anna.

"Sorry, Anna," he said. She smiled and waved him off.

"It's fine, go ahead," she told him sweetly. He nodded at her and let me drag him outside. I stopped walking once we were a meter from the door and I sighed, covering my face with my right hand.

"What's wrong, Kat?" he asked, grabbing my wrist and slowly pulling it from my face. I didn't want to tell him...I couldn't. But I knew he would be angry with me if he found out I knew about it and never told him. I looked at him and took a deep breath.

"I found something very interesting about you and me in Mother's journal last night, Felix," I began, opening the book to the section in which the ripped page rested. I stopped there, not having the strength to grab the paper and hand it to my brother.

"What is it?" he asked, peering over to look. I grabbed the page and shut the book with such force that it created a breeze to ruffle Felix's bangs. He jerked his head back in surprise. "Is everything alright?" My grip tightened on the paper and I heard a small rip. I breathed, shutting my eyes for a minute.

"I can't tell you," I murmured, trying to fight the burning tears. "I will give you this paper to read, but you need to promise me a few things first."

"Okay."

"Number one: protect this paper with your life. Number two: if you lose it, I will fucking rip your perfect eyes from your perfect face. Number three: if someone steals it from you as a joke or some shit like that, do everything and anything within your power to get it back. Number four: you will return this to me by dinner, not lunch nor next breakfast. Number five: the words scribbled on this paper are for your eyes and your eyes only. Number six: if I see any other breathing body with this paper even a foot away from their face, you and that person will be pummeled with my fists and/or feet. Understood?" I explained, glaring at him with cold eyes once I finished. He gulped, nodding nervously. Folded the paper into a neat little square and held it out for him to grab. Felix hesitated before taking it from my hand and stuffing it deep into his front pocket.

"Are you sure you want me to have this, Kat?" he asked quietly. Honestly, no, I wanted to tell him.

"Yes, Felix," I lied, tightening the grip I had on my journal. "Please, don't lose it."

"I swear to protect it with my life, Kat," he told me, saluting. I smiled and giggled, making him laugh with me. He was two inches taller than me now, and it made me feel short. I slowly raised my hand to his face and gently ran my fingers across his cheek.

I remember when he would get hurt playing with me when we were kids and I would brush away his tears and hum to him to calm him down. I was sucked into that time in this moment I was sharing with my baby Felix right now.

I began to hum quietly, gaze softening as I pictured him as a six-year-old falling asleep in my arms as I sang to him. I continued petting his cheek for a nice moment while I felt my eyelids close. He then cleared his throat, forcing me from my sweet dream and back to reality. I stopped stroking his face and pulled my hand back. "Sorry..." I said, turning around and walking back to the mess hall. I felt his stare burn through me as I let the door shut subtly behind me, walking to my table. My posture and speed of walking caught the attention of Benjamin, who I saw watching me drag myself to my destination out of the corner of my eye. I sat down and sighed, my cheek resting on my right palm as I drew figures on the wooden table with the fingertips of my other hand. Violet nudged my arm softly.

"Are you okay, Katrina?" she asked quietly. "What happened outside with your brother?"

"You didn't make a move on him, did you?" Nina asked me, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. I glared at her, shutting her up almost instantly. "Whoa, sorry."

"I don't wanna talk about it," I murmured, focusing back to my drawings.

"Not even to me? I know all about sibling problems, Katrina," Penelope soothed.

"Hey!" Nina gasped, crossing her arms.

"Maybe later, then, Penelope," I told her dully. She smiled kindly, brushing some black hair from her face.

"Please, call me Penny," she said. I glanced at her and offered the tiniest smile I could muster.

_**Transition**_

Training today was brutal. Vincent made us run ten laps while he sat in a comfy chair and watched, drinking as much ice cold water as he could find just to rub it in our faces. After that, we were forced to go into pairs with one running at the other with a knife while the other trips them...then rotate. Luckily, though, I got paired with Nina and we skipped out on that training to go swimming in the lake. Eventually we got caught and weren't allowed to have lunch but it was so worth it.

We were put through more cruel and unusual punishment before dinner. Nina and I were the first to kick open the doors to the mess hall and run in, getting our food first and wolfing it down before we got to our table. By the time everyone else was sitting down she was leaning against my shoulder, complaining about how hungry she still was.

"There, there, Nina," I cooed, petting her hair. "I'm hungry, too."

"You two just ate," Penelope said, rolling her eyes. Nina glared at her.

"Did you skip lunch because of Instructor Ass-face? I don't fucking think so!" she growled, pouting. I giggled at her, patting her shoulder. Violet had just arrived and she gasped, making a face.

"Nina!" she said, "You're in my seat! I always sit next to Kitty Kat."

"What did I say about calling me that in public, Violet?" I asked her sternly but playfully.

"But Kat's _so_ comfy!" she sighed, nuzzling against my arm. "Unlike my bony sister."

"I'm thin, not bony," Penny argued.

"Well Katrina's thin and she's not bony. She's like a motherly pillow," Nina observed, giving me a teasing glance.

"I'll take that as a complement," I laughed. Violet sighed, trudging to the other side to sit next to Penelope. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned, seeing Felix with a blank expression. My heart stopped, realizing he must have read the paper.

"Hey, Felix!" Nina said, looking up at him. "Did you know your sister is a fantastic pillow?" He glanced at her and smiled.

"Yep, and she's _my_ pillow," he replied, motioning with his head for me to go outside with him.

"Hell no, she's mine!" Nina retorted, sitting up. I stood and patted her on the head, walking to the door. "Kat, where are you going?! I need a pillow!"

As I walked by Benjamin's table I saw he and a few others were smoking. I rolled my eyes, holding out two fingers to snatch his cigarette from his lips. I put it in between mine and took a drag, widening my eyes in surprise at how different it felt. It was sort of nice, though. Soon we were outside and standing behind the building. I leaned against the wall, blowing some smoke into the air. Before I could take another drag Felix had yanked the cigarette from my fingers and let it fall to the floor, putting it out with his foot.

"Since when do you smoke?" he asked, obviously in a bad mood.

"Since now. It's not half bad," I told him, not being able to hold back a small smirk. He gritted his teeth, throwing a crumbled up wad of paper at my chest. It bounced off and landed at my feet. I didn't need to pick it up and look it over to know it was the paper I had given him at breakfast. His eye color changed to a dark red.

"I don't believe it," he growled, narrowing his eyes. His new eye color startled me, but I didn't show any sign of it.

"How can you not believe it?" I said, crossing my arms. "Mother doesn't lie, and these scars never showed up on our flesh until I was nine and you were eight so they can't be birthmarks."

"So you're saying that we've been Titan-shifters for six fucking years?!" he shouted.

"Shh!" I hissed, covering his mouth with my hand. "You want people to hear you?" He grunted and slapped my hand from his face.

"That's not even possible," he told me, "Mom died when we were five and four." I looked at the ground, trying to process what he just said.

"I remember having a dream one night when I was nine," I began telling him, "where I was laying in my bed and Calem was kneeling beside me. He had my arm stretched out was was holding onto my wrist tightly. I felt a pinch on my vein, then my entire arm felt cold. I don't remember anything after that. Maybe that dream was caused by him injecting the serum into my wrist." Felix stared at me, his blood-red eyes burning a hole through my soul. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Now that I think about it," he murmured, "I had a dream similar to that a couple years ago -"

"A couple, or six years ago?" I interrupted him, grabbing his wrist and pulling up his sleeve to reveal the same pink dot on his wrist as I had. He shut his eyes, defeated.

"...Six."

"You still think this is bullshit?" I asked, tightening my grip on his wrist. "What other proof do you need?!" His eyes flew open and he yanked his wrist from my hand, pulling his sleeve back down.

"I wanna see it happen!" he told me, taking a step closer. "I want to see myself become a Titan!"

"It can't possibly be that easy -"

"What if it is?" Things went silent between us. We glared into each others eyes for the longest time, it felt like hours. He looked away, stepping back.

"Activation might be different for everyone," I said. "But we shouldn't play with it until we're out of training."

"I agree," he responded instantly, his eyes turning blue again. "I just don't want to wait."

"Me neither," I sighed, stepping up to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "But imagine if our secret got out. We'd be arrested...dissected...killed."

"I'd rather not imagine it, then," Felix said, chuckling. I smiled.

"Good, it's better that way," I whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "Be careful." I turned and grabbed the paper wad and uncrumpled it, walking toward the front of the mess hall.

_**Transition **Unknown's POV _**(yes I made it unknown for the suspense and to piss you all off ^^)**

I saw Katrina and her brother leave the mess hall and became suspicious. What could they be talking about that couldn't be said inside? I excused myself from my table and exited the mess hall a minute after they did, taking a long drag from my cigarette. I followed them three feet behind, my footsteps light. I leaned against the right side of the building, listening to their conversation carefully. My eyes widened with almost every word, a wide smirk spread across my lips. I could use this info to my advantage. But out of all people, I couldn't believe Katrina was a Titan-shifter. Looks like I'm not the only one anymore. After they stopped talking and their footsteps indicated that they left, I dropped my cigarette onto the ground and smashed it under my foot. I snickered, walking at a leisurely pace to the front of the building. Who to tell first, I wonder. Maybe Nina would like to hear. Yeah...definitely her.

**Post who you think Unknown might be! The only hint I gave was the cigarette thing. Only the boys at Benjamin's table were smoking. And don't think it can't be Benjamin since Katrina took his cigarette. He could always light a new one, can't he? Reviews are appreciated, criticism is tolerated, haters gonna hate &amp; potatoes gonna potate. Thank you for the continued support it means a lot.**


	8. Chapter 7

**REVIEWS: Guest {1} (Maaaaybe). I just realized I made Unknown a little obvious ;-;...I TRIED OKAY?! -sobs-. My attempts at suspense are less than acceptable T_T.**

_Nina's POV_

I tossed and turned in my bed restlessly, deciding to stop once I heard a creak under me. It would be kind of funny if I broke the bunk, but not for Katrina. I sighed, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. I looked around, seeing Luna asleep on her top bunk across the room. She slept with her eyes open, and it's really creepy. I shifted my eyes to the bunks next to Katrina's and me and saw Penny sleeping on the top, Violet on the bottom. I had a feeling those two were BFFs now or something, since Kat stole Penny's sister and I stole Violet's bestie. Heh...it was fun stealing. It gained enemies, which I could easily manipulate with a bat of an eyelash.

Suddenly there was a slight tapping at the door and I turned my head in that direction. There was a tall shadow at the window, but it disappeared in a matter of seconds. I yawned, scooting over to the ladder and climbing down. I looked at Katrina for a minute, seeing something under her pillow. I hope she's a heavy sleeper.

I took a step closer to her and slowly reached out my hand to lift a corner of the pillow, holding my breath. I lifted it and quickly snatched what was under it: a wrinkled piece of paper. I let the pillow fall back onto the bed and Katrina didn't respond at all. I looked at the paper and raised an eyebrow, too lazy to read it all right now. I shrugged, crumpling it up and throwing it onto my bed.

I walked to the door and opened it quickly, seeing no one there. I snorted, looking down. I saw a piece of paper laying on the floor and picked it up. _Nina. Lake. Now. Tell no one._ My eyes widened. This could be from anybody! I sorted out the pros and cons of the situation. Pro: surprise-early-birthday-party! Con: creepy guy wanting to rape me. Pro: secret midnight Titan killing practice. Con: it's cold outside. I sighed, stepping outside and walking down the steps quietly. I took another glance at the paper and smiled. Only one person had such sloppy yet readable handwriting. This must be serious, then. I took off to the woods, wondering what my little douchebag had to say.

_**Transition (I still can't believe I made Unknown so obvious ;-; I really should have left out the Nina part...and the smoking part)**_

I arrived at the lake and looked around, wondering where the brunette was. I spotted a flat rock and walked to it, laying down. I sighed comfortably. I was beginning to doze off when I felt my shirt tail move. I assumed it was the wind and didn't react. Then I felt a fiery pain on my stomach and yelped, sitting up. I looked to my side to see Scott with a cigarette in his mouth, smirking at me. I glanced at my stomach to see a burnt part of skin.

"You burnt me with your cigarette?!" I scolded him.

"It was that or dump cold water on you, and I didn't want you going back to sleep wet," he told me, tapping my nose with his finger. I snatched the cigarette from his mouth and put the tip in mine, taking a drag. "Hey!"

"Shut up," I said, exhaling the smoke through my nostrils. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He pushed my legs from the rock and sat next to me, watching as I savored the flavor of nicotine and tobacco. "Stop staring at me like I was Ayaka and start yapping," I commanded, smacking the back of his head.

"You know Katrina, right?"

"Which one?" I asked sarcastically.

"That's what I thought. Anyway, when she and her brother left the mess hall earlier, I followed them and eavesdropped on their entire conversation." I turned to him and smirked.

"Go on."

"According to their mom's journal, they are both Titan-shifters." I choked on smoke when Scott said that and began coughing crazily. I regained my sanity after a few seconds and took a deep breath of fresh air. I glared at him and narrowed my eyes. "I'm serious!"

"Details, Sherlock," I told him, sticking the cigarette back in between my lips.

"Well apparently their mom was dead before they were injected. So some guy named Calem did it when they were asleep at ages nine and eight. So they've had no idea about their abilities for six years. That's all I heard, I swear," he explained. I thought for a moment, letting a cloud of smoke slowly trail from my mouth.

"Good boy," I murmured, taking the cancer stick from my mouth and sticking it into his. I stood up. "Now, we must let the others know -"

"Or," he interrupted me, standing up and blowing smoke into my face, "we can hold this against Katrina and Felix and, according to what they were saying would happen if anyone found out, control them with it." We stared at each other for a minute and I softened my gaze, patting his cheek.

"Maybe. But leave the big thinking to the professionals, mkay, Scotty?" I said playfully.

"But, if I'm Sherlock, then I'm the professional," he argued.

"I didn't call you Sherlock, I called you Watson."

"No you didn't."

"I'm pretty sure I did, Watson."

"Last time I checked -" I cut him off by wrapping my hand around his upper throat and tilting his head up.

"What were you saying, Watson?" I asked sweetly. He blinked, not trying to say anything. "That's what I thought." I let go of his throat and turned around, the momentum causing my hair to smack him in the face. Walking away, I licked the tip of my index finger and pressed it against the burn mark he gave me. It stung a little. I licked that finger again and hummed. _Tastes like ash,_ I thought. _The same flavor of the victory I feel whenever things go my way._

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

I awoke to the sound of Nina's loud footsteps as she climbed down the ladder. I groaned, rubbing my eyes and looking at her. She shot me a glance and turned to the door, not even saying anything. _Well, then,_ I thought, throwing my legs over the side of the bed.

I lifted my pillow and my heart stopped. The paper wasn't there. I almost screamed before I saw it on the floor beside my feet. It was crumpled up. No...no! Someone must have seen it and read it! What if it was Nina? Oh, God, could things get any worse?! I grabbed the paper ball and opened it up, scanning it to make sure Nina or whoever took it didn't damage it in any way. Luckily, it was in the same condition as I had left it in before. Besides the crumpled up part. I grabbed my journal and stuffed it in, shutting the book and getting to my feet.

"Kitty Kat!" I heard Violet's voice behind me. I turned and smiled at her.

"Hey, Violet," I said, yawning.

"Sleep well?"

"I guess so. You?"

"Like a baby." I assumed the conversation was over and I turned around, grabbing some clothes to throw on, when I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned around and met her sullen eyes. "Katrina, you know that paper you had under your pillow?" My eyes widened.

"Y-you stole it?!" I gasped.

"No!" she defended herself immediately, taking a step back. "But I know who did." I stared at her, reminding myself that she could be trusted.

"Who?"

"Last night I saw Nina grab something from under your pillow and look at it. That's when I saw it was a piece of paper with writing on it. She crumpled it up and threw it onto her bunk. Later, I caught a glimpse of her reading it. I fell back asleep, then," she told me. I glanced at the door, seeing Luna and Penelope leaving. I decided to change the subject.

"What's so important out there that everyone's leaving so fast?" I asked, turning back to my bed.

"Maybe Vincent is in a bad mood."

"Sounds legit. Let's bounce." We left the female ward and hurried to the mess hall. After we got our trays of food we sat at our table. I noticed something different in our seating arrangements...where was Nina?

"Hey, Penny," Violet said, "where's your sister?" Penelope pointed to a table in the far right side of the building. On one side was Luna, Nina, and Jackie; while on the other side was Cadet Four and Scott. "I didn't know Edgar was friends with Scott," I heard Violet mumble.

"His name's Edgar?" I asked.

"Yep." You don't hear that everyday.

"Why'd they move tables?" Opal asked, her green eyes questioning. Everyone was staring at Penelope, since she was Nina's sister. Penny sighed, crossing her arms.

"Like I would know," she said grumpily. "Nina and I haven't had a perfect-sister relationship since we were three and I accidentally broke her favorite doll, resulting in her smashing my tea-party set for revenge. If you really want answers, I would point my fingers at Katrina...she is Nina's best friend, after all." What?! How could she just corner me like that?! All eyes were on me, now. I pouted.

"I don't know anything! I found out Nina stole something...private...of mine and didn't even put it back in the same spot it was hidden. So, last time I checked, best friends don't do that."

"Does that mean _we're_ best friends, Katrina?" Violet squeaked, a hopeful sparkle in her brown eyes. I smiled at her, nodding.

"We've always been, I thought."

"You can't have two besties," she said matter-of-factly.

"Let's just drop the subject," Lily suggested as she tied her cream-blonde hair into a braid. "I could see it on Katrina's face that she didn't like having it pinned against her by you, Penny." Penelope snorted, rolling her eyes.

"It was the most reasonable thing to do," she stated. "Better to have others breathing down someone else's neck rather than your own, hm?" That earned her a few surprised glances. What was with Penelope, today? I have to talk to Nina later.

_**Transition**_

Vincent was indeed in a bad mood. He almost confiscated my journal, luckily Scott and Benjamin were caught doing something stupid to distract him. Those two weren't allowed to have lunch, so I brought some leftovers for them. Scott didn't eat any, saying Nina had brought him some earlier.

After lunch Vincent let us do whatever we wanted, telling us word for word: "I'm too tired to boss you good-for-nothing pricks around right now." So, when I had the chance, I pulled Nina aside and dragged her to the female ward, stopping when we were far enough from everyone else. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms.

"I could go for a cigarette right now, how about you, Trina?" she said.

"'Trina'? Since when you do you call me that?"

"I'm trying something new...is that alright?"

"Did you steal a paper from under my pillow last night?" I asked, changing the subject. She went silent, face unreadable.

"Where would you get that idea -"

"Violet saw you!" I told her, taking a step forward. She lifted her hands.

"Whoa, calm down," she said.

"Tell me the truth, Nina!"

"Fine, I did take it. But I didn't read it."

"Liar!"

"What?"

"Violet caught you reading it, too! And I found it crumpled up on the floor next to my bunk when I woke up. Why did you just take it from my possession without my permission? If you had just asked -"

"You still would have said no!" she interrupted me, standing up straight. I was taken aback. So she read _all_ of it. She sighed, blowing some strands of hair from her face. "Look, your secret is safe with me. I wouldn't tell a soul, I promise."

"How can I trust you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. Her expression didn't change. She crossed her arms.

"I don't know. But you've done me no wrongs, so I have no right to spill, okay?" She held out her hand. "I'm sorry, Katrina. I should have been more considerate." I thought I caught a hint of a smirk upon her mouth, but I ignored it. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward me. She gasped as I caught her in my arms, hugging her.

"I forgive you, Nina," I said. She hesitated before hugging me back.

"Thanks. Now, about that cigarette..."

_**Transition**_

"So you're a smoker now," Benjamin said as he walked me to the female ward. Dinner came and went quickly, and this leisurely walk with my boyfriend felt like it was lasting forever.

"Yeah, Felix thinks I'm insane for it but screw it," I told him. He chuckled. Suddenly Scott ran up to us and stopped us in our tracks.

"Hey, man, can I borrow your girl for a minute? Thanks!" he quickly rambled on as he grabbed my wrist and took off, dragging me behind the female ward. I shrieked in surprise, almost tripping over my feet as he ran so fast. I yanked my wrist from his grasp and glared at him.

"What the hell?!" I hissed.

"Hey, now," he soothed, taking a step forward. "You shouldn't use that tone with me, doll-face." My eyes widened.

"Doll-face?!" I gasped, stepping back. "Who do you think you're talking to?" He snickered, taking another step toward me. He was trying to corner me against the wall.

"I know your little secret, Katrina," he murmured. He was bluffing...he had to be!

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I told him, turning left to try to run away. He pressed his hand against the wall, blocking my path with his arm. I breathed, turning back to face him. He smirked

"Now, now, don't play dumb. I don't want to have to make this any harder than it has to be," he said softly, dark brown eyes staring into mine.

**I just realized how much I made Scott look like Jean...at least Scott's hairstyle isn't gay. (This does NOT count as a transition)**

I stayed silent, gritting my teeth. "I also know that your little Felix has the same secret, am I wrong?" I clenched my fists.

"You leave him out of this!" I demanded. His smirk fell, his face now unreadable.

"And what if I don't?"

"I'll kill you..." I muttered, trying to hold back my fists. He snickered.

"You're just adorable, you know," he cooed, grinning. He took another step forward and I now had my back pressed against the wall.

"What do you want?" I growled, his grin creeping me out.

"In exchange for keeping your secret under wraps," he began, "you'll do anything and everything I say." I made a face. I could only imagine the things he'd want me to do. I shuddered at the thought.

"By everything...do you mean _everything_?" I couldn't help but ask. Scott ran a finger along my jawline, making me flinch.

"If you're a good girl," he murmured, "then I might go easy on you."

"You're disgusting," I said behind gritted teeth. He let out a bark of laughter, throwing his head back.

"And you're my property, now. Which title do you prefer: slave or servant?" I almost gagged.

"Neither!"

"Slave it is, then."

"Okay, okay...servant."

"That's better," he hummed, patting my cheek with his free hand. He took his hand from the wall and stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets. "You're free to go." I rolled my eyes, beginning to walk away. "Remember," he said, "if anyone finds out about this, you're secret won't be so secret anymore. Same with Felix." I stopped in my tracks.

"Is Felix your...servant...too?" I almost choked on the dreaded word.

"No, unless you want him to."

"Absolutely not!" I hissed, whipped my head to face him. Scott sneered, just loving my reactions to everything he's said to me. I _tsk_ed and walked to the front of the female ward, pulling open the door and letting it slam behind me. I trudged to my bed and threw myself into it, stuffing my face into my pillow.

"Trina?" I heard a gasp. I didn't need to lift my face to know it was Nina. "What happened?"

"Scott..." I managed to say behind the fluff. "He found out and said he'd keep my secret if I would become his slave." I heard her mumble something.

"There, there," she soothed, petting my hair. "Would it make you feel better if I tried to get him to back off?"

"No!" I screamed into the pillow, clutching it tighter. "He said that if I told anyone he would tell everyone that Felix and I are...you know!" I continued to wallow in self-pity as Nina sat on the side of my pet, petting my hair.

"Don't worry about it too much, Trina," Nina told me. "Scott isn't a perv and he's a nice guy most of the time."

"But have you seen the way he looks at me?" I argued. "Ever since that fight a year ago I've caught him staring at me like I was chocolate-covered-bacon. Is he a masochist or something?"

"He might be, I dunno. Whenever I cause him pain he doesn't react in a horny way," she replied. The way she said it made me laugh. "Scott and I go way back, so are you positive you don't want me to talk to him?"

"Positively positive," I said. "If he's _nice_ like you say, then he would have boundaries...right?" She didn't reply. "Right?!" I asked louder.

"If it helps ya sleep at night," I heard her murmur under her breath. I gulped.

_**Transition** Nina's POV_

I looked around, making sure all of the girls were asleep. It was around midnight, maybe later, and I was planning to smack some sense into Scott. I slowly climbed down the ladder and glanced at the bunk to my right, making sure Violet was sound asleep. I snorted, walking to the door. I exited and quickly made my way to the male ward, hoping all of the boys besides my target were heavy sleepers.

I entered slowly and shut the door behind me, looking around. I tip-toed to Scott's bunk and noticed he wasn't there. Benjamin was. I raised an eyebrow, looking up to look at the top bunk. There's my little douche. I climbed two steps up the ladder when I heard a grumble. I looked down and saw Ben waking up, looking at me.

"Nina?" he groaned quietly, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Shh," I whispered, putting a finger to my lips. "I'm here to talk with Scott." A smirk spread across his mouth and his eyes held a strange twinkle. I frowned. "Ew, not like that," I hissed. He snickered and laid his head back down on his pillow.

"Just don't make too much noise, eh?" he said, shutting his eyes.

"Gross!" His idea of _me_ with _Scott_? Maybe later...wait, no! I climbed up two more steps and finally was face-to-face with a sleeping idiot. I pressed my index finger and thumb against his nose, blocking his airway. His eyes flew open and he gasped for air, lifting his head. He looked at me with anger erupting in his eyes.

"What the fuck?!" he growled.

"You. Me. Outside. Now," I said sternly, climbing down the ladder and walking to the door. I stood beside it and turned, seeing Scott high-five Benjamin. "Ew! Not like that, you idiots!" I whispered loud enough for them to hear. Scott walked up to me, that's when I realized he was shirtless. I glared at his face, having trouble to keep my gaze from dropping lower. His face told me he knew my weakness. "Put a shirt on," I ordered.

"Why? Is there a problem, officer?" he asked obnoxiously, putting his hands on his hips. I let a small smirk creep onto my lips, realizing that if he was half-naked then he would feel more pain as I punish him outside.

"No, actually," I told him, turning around and opening the door. I stepped outside and walked down the steps to the right side, leaning against the wall. He strut down the stairs and posed against the wall, making eye contact with me. "The hell are you trying to do, Watson?"

"I dunno, you tell me," he said.

"You're trying to imitate a two-dollar whore?" I guessed, sneering when I saw him pout.

"Why did you drag me out of bed?" he asked, crossing his arms. I walked up to him and slapped him across the face. "Ow! What the -"

"What in hell's name is the matter with you?!" I scolded him, grabbing his hair to make him look at me. I tightened my grip, enjoying the small whimper he made at the pain.

"I don't -"

"You are a selfish bastard for what you did to her!"

"I didn't -"

"Shut the hell up!" I punched him in the stomach, yanking at his hair when he tried to let his head fall. "How dare you threaten Katrina like that? And naming her your slave is just horrible! You disgust me."

"It's not like I did anything!" he growled, glaring into my eyes. "All I did was tell her how things are going to be from now on and that's that!"

"Well, then, how _are_ things going to be from now on?" I asked through gritted teeth, clenching my fist. Scott explained the entire conversation he had with Katrina, flinching at the end in case I was going to hit him again.

"As I said before, you disgust me," I muttered, kicking his shin. He squealed, shutting his eyes. "Did I say you could stop looking at me?" He hesitantly opened his eyes again.

"It's not like I was planning anything 'in that category' for her," he said.

"Sure," I said sarcastically, narrowing my eyes.

"Why do you give a shit, anyway? Do you care about her?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I punched him in the throat and threw him to the ground. He coughed, moaning in pain.

"Get up," I commanded sternly. He slowly made his way to his feet again, a look in his eyes similar to that of an agitated, wild animal. I pressed my hand against his chest, pinning him against the wall. "If I cared about her, you would be dead by now," I told him, reaching into my back pocket. "I'm just trying to protect us."

"By 'us' you mean -"

"Yes, I mean all of us, knucklehead."

"Wow...that's the nicest thing you've called me all night." He let a small smile crawl onto his mouth. I frowned, taking my pocket knife from my pocket. I held it up for Scott to see, smirking at his terrified reaction.

"Oh, calm down," I sighed, sliding the blade from its sheath. "I'm not going to slice you up unless you make me angry." I pierced my index finger with the tip of the knife and softened my gaze as I watched blood ooze from the puncture wound. His eyes widened.

"Sh-shouldn't you be -" I cut him off by placing my bloody finger against his lips.

"It doesn't work with that finger," I murmured. "You don't think I'd be stupid enough to actually cut the correct one, do you?" He shook his head hesitantly. I took my finger from his mouth and licked the blood from it, turning around and beginning to slowly walk away. I turned my head an inch to be able to watch him out of the corner of my eye. He ran his tongue across his lips as he watched me, licking up the blood I left on his mouth.

I made it to the female ward and sat on the steps, taking a small metal box from my pocket as I put away my pocket knife. I opened it and took out a cigarette, nibbling on the tip since I was too lazy to go inside and get my lighter. I shut my eyes, taking in the sounds and smells of midnight. I heard footsteps coming from my right but ignored it, hoping it was my imagination. Suddenly I smelled smoke, causing my to open my eyes. I saw my cigarette was magically lit now. I took a drag, letting my eyes close to intensify the warm feeling. I didn't need to turn my head and open my eyes to know that Scott was the one who lit my cigarette and was now sitting next to me. I let smoke escape from my lips and sighed.

"What do you want?" I asked calmly, chewing on the tip of my smoke.

"So you're just going to beat me up, rub blood all over my mouth, leave, and call it a night?" he asked, something I couldn't identify laced within his voice. I turned my head and let my eyes open slowly, blowing smoke into his face.

"What are you implying?" He took my cigarette from my lips and put it in between his, smirking as I pouted. "Are you confessing the fact that you are a masochist?"

"Wait...what?"

"Nothing." He went silent, taking a long drag from _my_ cigarette.

"So what if I am?" he murmured, laying down on the stairs. "Would it make you think differently of me?"

"Maybe a bit," I said, snatching back my smoke. "I mean, I do kick your ass a lot." He let out a bark of laughter. I couldn't help but giggle a bit, too. A silent moment passed, leaving him watching at me watch the sky. I took a drag from my cigarette and glanced at Scott, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"What?"

"Why are you staring at me?" I asked. He shrugged, sitting up. His face was about three inches from mine. I took another drag from my cigarette before sticking it back into Scott's mouth. He chuckled, taking it out with two fingers and holding it away from his face. I blew smoke into his face, smirking. "Answer, Watson."

"Alright," he said, "I'm staring at you because you're pretty." I giggled, staring back to the sky.

"Pretty? That's the best you can do?"

"Fine...you're the most fucking gorgeous human being I've ever seen in my entire life." I laughed, throwing my head back.

"Tell me something I don't know," I said playfully, turning my head to face him again.

"How self-absorbed are you?"

"Very." We laughed together. "Why the sudden compliment?" He smiled at me.

"Well, you asked me a question and I remember you once telling me that if I lied to you, you would rip out my eyeballs and shove them down my throat so I could watch you rip open my stomach and feed it to Penelope." I snickered, patting his cheek.

"Smart cookie," I praised. We stared at each other for a few moments which seemed to last forever. I hummed. "This is kind of awkward." He smiled again.

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," he murmured. He leaned a bit closer to me, and our noses were barely touching. "Do you want to make it awkward?" I knew what he was trying to do, and I didn't want to play along. But something was keeping me from backing away and saying something. "If sharing cigarettes isn't awkward, then why should this be?" he asked. I hummed again. Before I knew it his lips were pressed against mine and he was actually _kissing_ me. Ew. Oh, who am I kidding...he wasn't that bad. I kissed him back and we sat there like that for a few minutes. I pulled away slowly and turned away, hair falling in front of my eyes. "What's the matter?" I heard him ask.

"I can't," I murmured.

"Can't what?"

"This!" I hissed, standing up. "This isn't right...I'm your boss!"

"Whoa, whoa..._boss_?!" he asked, standing up, too.

"That's right," I told him. "I'm your boss. In our little group, I'm the alpha female."

"Well, who's alpha male?"

"There is no alpha male. I'm not going to fall in love, ever!" I snarled, taking a step closer. He stared at me.

"And why is that?" he asked quietly. I clenched my fists.

"Love makes you weak," I replied, crossing my arms. "It takes you off guard from everything else and before you know it, your plan is garbage and everything else goes wrong!"

"Not if that love is within the group," he said, stepping forward. "Besides...we don't have to be a thing. We could just be friends with benefits." He smirked. I snorted, narrowing my eyes.

"Why me?" I asked. "Out of all girls here, I'm the one you just had to fall for?"

"Well, for one, you like hurting me," he started. "Two, you do it quite a lot. Three, you're, as I said before, the most fucking gorgeous human being I've ever seen in my entire life. Four, you're mysterious...thus interesting. Five, you like to take charge. And six, after you suck on a cigarette until your heart's content and you place it back into my mouth, the tip tastes slightly of peppermint." I stared at him, dumbfounded. Peppermint...? Out of all flavors, he thought it tasted like peppermint?

"Wow..." I murmured under my breath. He was about to take another step closer but I pressed my hand against his chest, keeping him in his original spot. "I'll think about it." I glared at him for another moment before walking up the steps and opening the door, entering the female ward. The door shut with a quiet slam and I walked to my bunk. I climbed the ladder and sighed, laying my head against my cold pillow. So many things were running through my mind right now. First, I had to balance work with trying to keep Katrina happy, then the whole Scott thing, then making sure my plan was still able to work. I grunted, pulling my blanket over my cold body and sighing. Today's been a long day.

**Ugh this took me forever to type. STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I MADE UNKNOWN SO FRIKKIN OBVIOUS ;-;. Forgive my stupidity. Anywaaay...you got questions? I got answers. Leave 'em in the reviews and I'll answer 'em in the next chapter. You got suggestions? I'd love to hear 'em! Leave them in the reviews and I may or may not use/follow them. You got praise for my awesomeness? I'd love to hear it ^^! Leave it in the reviews. You got flames? Screw you. Just sayin' ;D. Stay tuned!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Review: Guest (I'm so sorry that I take forever on this story ;-; My brain has been being retarded for a while and won't think of good material. Btw, this story loves you, too :D).**

_Nina's POV (This is gonna be short because I wanna get on with the frikkin story but this part is needed so bleh) (If you wanna skip it its fine, its just about Nina and Scott's relationship)_

I forced my eyes open and stared at a wooden ceiling, sighing and rubbing my eyes. I yawned. I threw on some random clothes and then climbed down the ladder, sensing a presence behind me. I whipped my head around, seeing it was only Violet. I sighed, putting on a friendly smile to keep her aura from growing even more suspicious than it already was. "Good mor -"

"Save it," she interrupted me, holding up a finger. "Where were you last night, Nina?"

"How is any of that your business?" I challenged. She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm only looking out for Katrina; and ever since you stole and read that private paper of hers, I've been watching you with a close eye," she explained. I rolled my eyes.

"All I did was talk with Scott." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious!" I hissed. She sighed, turning around and walking back to her bunk.

I exited the female ward and walked down the steps, thinking about last night. When I began to think about Scott, something felt funny in my chest. Couldn't be my heart, that thing withered away years ago. I ignored it and made my way to the male ward stopping in my tracks when I saw Edgar exit with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He stared at me cautiously.

"Morning, Edgar," I greeted, but still in my 'boss' tone. "Is Scott inside?"

"Yes," he replied, walking down the steps and attempting to pass me. I grabbed his shoulder, making him freeze in his spot.

"If anyone asks why Scott and I aren't at breakfast," I told him, "say that I'm disciplining him."

"What did he do?" Edgar asked. I shot him a glare. His eyes widened. "Forgive me for asking, Nina. It is obviously none of my business..." I smirked, patting his shoulder.

"I like you, Edgar," I said quietly. "Too bad your much too intelligent to be my right-hand man." He remained silent.

I walked from his side and to the stairs. I made my way up the stairs and to the door, twisting the knob and kicking it open. I was met with the surprised glances of countless guys. I didn't pay them any attention as I slowly made my way to Scott's bunk. I loved the eerie silence that followed my entrance, it was almost as if all of the boys thought I was scary. I hoped they did.

I finally saw Scott half-way down the ladder from his bunk, staring at me with a terrified glint in his eyes. I stood still, crossing my arms. He slowly climbed all the way down the ladder and stood in front of me. I grabbed him by the hair and turned around, dragging him back to where I came from. He grunted with every yank I gave. As I finally made it to the door, I heard a few murmurs. I whipped my head around and silenced everything once more. I caught Benjamin grinning and narrowed my eyes at him. His grin fell.

"Idiot, it's not like that," I said to him, but really meant it for all of the idiots in the room. I opened the door and threw Scott outside, watching as he tripped over the stairs and fell flat on his face. I chuckled, walking out and slamming the door behind me.

From outside I heard one of the guys yell, "How does Scott do it?!", followed by laughter from everyone else. I cursed under my breath at that as I walked down the steps. He was on his feet, still carrying a scared expression on his face. I grabbed his hair again and dragged him to the back of the male ward. I slammed him against the wall and grabbed the collar of his shirt, keeping him in place.

"D-did I do something wrong?" he stuttered. I snickered, patting his cheek.

"Not yet, Watson," I said. "But remember last night when I said I'd think about...you know?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I decided that we can be a thing." He raised an eyebrow. "_If_," I continued, "you tell Katrina that your little deal is over."

"Okay -"

"_And_," I interrupted him, narrowing my eyes, "if we keep this to ourselves until nighttime." He grinned. "That brings me to my next agreement," I snorted. "You will treat me with respect unless I say so. Also, I am the leader of this relationship."

"Wait, _leader_?" he asked, his grin falling.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "In every relationship, there is a dominant and a subordinate. I shall be that dominant." He stared at me blankly, as if trying to process all of my demands. "Those four things, and I'll accept."

"...Accept what?" I mentally face-palmed. "Oh!" he gasped, finally understanding.

"You're stupidity wows me," I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"Okay," he said, smiling. I raised an eyebrow. He put on an innocent face.

"Should I make a contract?"

"Are you fucking serious?"

"I have connections."

"Do you not trust -" I shut him up by grabbing a handful of hair and pulling his face closer to mine, closing the almost non-existant gap by kissing him.

_**Transition (one year, 11 months, and a lot of days later {AKA training is almost over and we're moving on with our lives}) **__**{Plus, I'm too lazy to do anything so I'm just going to list Top Ten and reasons why they made it into Top Ten **__**(in Vincent's opinion)**__**. **__**Okay not all of them are reasons, some of them are notes but whatevz.**__** Forgive me, Senpai ;-;**__**}.**_

10\. Felix Ayumi **– **_A__verage muscular physique, average physical and mental strength, average stamina, average speed...everything about this kid is average. Everything except his determination and __ego. If it weren't for his sister, Katrina, keeping him from starting a fight every now and then he would be dead by now. __The boy reminds me of myself, somewhat...except I didn't have an over-protective sister to keep me from making an ass of myself._

9\. Penelope Star **– **_Small muscular physique, above-average mental abilities, and quick reflexes. She is quiet and almost never steps out of line. When she does talk, however, she is sarcastic and her words seem to spew venom. __This attitude was probably influenced by her "evil", as some would describe her as, sister, Nina. __I can't decide whether her few allies actually like her or if they only tolerate her._

8\. Katrina Ayumi**– **_Small muscular physique, average stamina, and outstanding determination. Has a somewhat hard time making close friends with her stubbornness and failing to trust others too much. Glued to some sort of book she carries around all of the time, it doesn't distract her during training often, though. Clingy and protective toward her younger brother, Felix. I can see why, __what with__ h__im being__ more arrogan__t__ than Ayaka._

7\. Ayaka Tsukiko**– **_Small muscular physique, endless stamina, and her speed compliments her swift movements. She uses her good looks to win over male allies, but females...not so much. She is a great fighter and doesn't give in unless on the verge of death, whether it's __concerning__ battle or just a simple task._

6\. Jackie Finch** – **_Small muscular physique, average mental strength, spectacular speed, and outstanding levels of stamina. __She is quiet, shy, and kind to others, but when it comes to battle she is as bloodthirsty as a Titan. She never talks back and refuses to let anger get the better of her. Her many allies show her compassion and almost never give her a reason to be upset, but Nina pushes her buttons constantly and acts like making this girl miserable is her life goal._

5\. Benjamin Yoshiki**– **_Superior muscular physique with average physical and mental strength. Always trying to one-up his enemies, and sometimes allies, especially Felix. From the moment those boys had their first fight, I knew that it was the start of a __beautifully__hideous relationship. He isn't one to give up too easily, if at all. His determined persona keeps him from being broken under any circumstances. Can be quite possessive __of people and objects__, __which might strike conflict among fellow soldiers__._

4\. Scott Walker **– **_Superior muscular physique with superior physical strength. Mental strength...not so much. __Doesn't need to be asked twice when given an order, probably because Nina bossing him around twenty-four-seven has trained him to __be hell-bent on__ complet__ing__ tasks or get your ass whooped._

3\. Edgar Marz **– **_Average muscular physique, highly advanced mental abilities, agility of a cat, __and almost unlimited stamina. He __is respected and treated well by all of his acquaintances, and gives them the exact amount of respect back.__T__his kid is as weird and impossible to figure out as Luna, __it's pretty much impossible for them not to be blood related. He is unnaturally calm, he doesn't speak unless spoken to, injuries heal faster than humanly possible, and his sense of hearing and smell is animal__istic__._

2\. Nina Star **– **_Small muscular physique, but considering the amount of wits, stamina, agility, speed, and strength, you almost forget she is female. __Ability to make allies so fast is near impossible, but later she only resorts to a few at a time. The only respect she earns is from her five closest companions, everyone else practically loathes her very existence. Quite the rebel, this one. She skipped nearly half of all training that was assigned, but made up for it by being so good at what she does. She would talk back to me and act like a child throwing a fit, but somehow manage get away without a punishment. I find it utterly impossible for her and her sister, Penelope, to be related._

1\. Luna Freedman**– **_For a female, __muscular physique is nothing less than impressive; complimented with an almost impeccable amount of strength, speed, and agility. Sure, the girl is creepy as fuck...but that just makes others fear her, thus proving her dangerous. Respect for her is practically oozing from her allies and acquaintances, except for Nina who pretty much sees her as a weapon instead of a human being. __Choosing between her and Nina __for number one__ was tough, since both are alike physically. But mentally, __she__ is more advanced._

_**Transition**_ _Katrina's POV_

"Eek!" Violet squealed, barely being able to contain her excitement. It was the day after the announcement of the top ten and everyone was packed into the mess hall. She and I were standing near the door; I was leaning against the wall and she was bouncing up and down in front of me. "So excited!" she kept cheering, a wide grin on her face.

"What military branch are you going to join, Violet?" I asked her. She instantly stopped acting happy and stared at me seriously. I raised an eyebrow.

"I want to join the same branch as you, Kitty Kat," she said, smiling again. "I don't want to let our friendship go to waste." I smiled at that. Violet was a real friend.

Speaking of friends, remember Nina? Yeah...that bitch. Ever since that she-demon took my paper she's been acting so much differently. When she talked to me, she would do it like she was better than me. I bet she thinks she's better than everyone; she sure as hell acts like it. Her and her little group were almost nowhere to be seen during training, so everyone thought that they were ditching. A month or two after Scott told me the deal was off, thankfully, I noticed Benjamin was sitting with Nina's group during meal time. Since then, he spent lesser time with me and almost never spoke with me. It really pissed me off, but I never had the chance to talk with him about it because whenever I was about to make my way to their table Luna would shoot me a death glare and burn a hole through my soul. So, in conclusion, Nina is a controlling bitch that people happen to be afraid of for some unknown reason.

"Well, I don't know if you'd want to join the Scout Regiment," I sighed, eyes soft. "On the outside, you don't seem like a Scout Regiment kind of girl." She shrugged, putting her hands on her hips.

"That's okay! I'm a quick learner," she chirped. I laughed at that. "Do you think Ayaka was upset that she ranked seven in the top ten?"

"Definitely," I confirmed, glancing over to Ayaka sitting on one of the tables surrounded by guys. "You should've seen her face." I looked behind Violet to see the she-demon herself strutting towards us. I narrowed my eyes. Violet turned around and crossed her arms, backing up to stand beside me. Nina stopped in front of me, putting a hand on her hip. Her other hand was occupied with a cigarette.

"Hello, girls," she said, letting smoke trail effortlessly from her lips. "Why the silence? Am I that breathtaking?"

"Save the self-absorption for later, please," Violet growled. Nina only laughed, sticking the cigarette back into her mouth.

"Are you only upset because you didn't make the top ten, Violet?" she asked, taking a step closer to her. She was about an inch or two taller than the both of us. Violet shrunk a bit, eyes wide.

"Leave her alone, Nina," I demanded, not bothering to look at her. She turned her head to me and smirked, walking back into my sight. I glanced up to see the amused sparkle in her hazel eyes.

"I wasn't doing anything," she complained, pouting. "I was just asking her if she was bitching about the fact that I'm better than her." She smiled. I glared at her, clenching my fists. "Now, now, no need to get angry," she chuckled, patting me on the head. I grabbed her wrist and stood up straight, my face five inches from hers.

"Why are you so mean to us?" I asked, tightening my grip on her wrist. She tried to pull it away from me but I was too strong. She frowned.

"Because I can be," she said blowing smoke into my face. I coughed, loosening my grip a bit. Nina took advantage of that and yanked her wrist from my grasp, taking a step back. "You're boyfriend doesn't seem to have a problem with it, you know," she said, smirking. My eyes widened.

"Hey, Nina, you should get back to the group, now," Jackie's voice came from behind her. She kept her gaze locked on me.

"Why? Is Scott being an idiot?"

"Er, you could say that..." Instantly Nina's gaze averted from me to the back of the building.

"Goddammit, I leave you _one_ task..." she began muttering under her breath. "Jackie, take care of them," she ordered, snapping her fingers and walking toward the back. Jackie turned to us, her dirty blonde hair falling in front of her eyes.

"S-sorry..." she murmured, taking a step back, "about her." I waved her off.

"We're used to it," I sighed, offering a small smile. She smiled back and turned around, running after Nina. Violet groaned, sliding down the wall into a sitting position.

"She's such a pain in the ass!" she whined, wrapping her arms around her knees as she pulled them up to her chest.

"She's just trying to get on our nerves," I told her, kneeling next to her. "She can't hurt us if we don't let her." Violet looked at me and smiled. I stood up, looking toward the back of the building to see Nina scolding Jackie. Jackie retorted something back, causing Nina smirk. I narrowed my eyes, turning back to Violet.

"So...Scout-Regiment-buddies?" she asked, standing up. I giggled, nodding. "Why do you wanna join that branch, anyway?" I stared at her, contemplating whether to tell her about Wall Naomi or not. She might think I'm insane.

"...It's always been a dream of mine, since I was little -"

"But _why_ has it been a dream of yours?" she cut me off, putting way too much emphasis on the word 'why'. I sighed, giving up.

"I'm going to tell you something and you're going to promise me you won't think I'm crazy, okay?" I told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded slowly. "I have two reasons for joining the Survey Corps. One is that dream thing. The other is to find -"

"Er, I don't mean to interrupt," a voice shyly broke through what I was going to say. I sighed of relief and turned around, seeing Jackie.

"No interruption at all, Jackie," I said, smiling. Violet rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Good," the blonde said, offering a small smile. "I was wondering if I could possibly befriend you two." There was a small silence after that.

"Awkward..." Violet murmured. I punched her arm gently. "Ow!" she whined, rubbing it tenderly.

"That didn't hurt." Rolling my eyes at her, I turned back to Jackie. "Well, I'd love to be your friend, Jackie," I told her.

"No way!" Violet snarled. "She's _Nina's_ friend!"

"Actually, Violet," Jackie said calmly, gazing at her with dull eyes, "Nina and I are the exact opposite. A bit earlier I told her I was finished being her punching bag and left her clique. And she, seeing me as a useless excuse for a human, had no argument. So, I came here and thought that since she gives you two a hard time as well, that gives us something in common."

"Well, in that case," Violet sighed, pouting.

"Cadets!" a vicious voice tore through the noise, silencing everyone. Most turned to the doorway to see Vincent standing there, while others just ignored him. "I should see all of you at the Selection Ceremony tonight, which will be at Stage One on the western side of the training grounds in three minutes! As you were." He left, slamming the door behind him. Hurriedly, people began to flood out of the building. Wow, everyone was quite afraid of Instructor Vincent.

"Let's get going, guys," I said, smiling at Jackie.

**Fyi, I'm just going to kill everyone in the Survey Corps off because I don't read the manga and I dunno where Eren &amp; the rest end up so bleh don't judge me. Thirty-three years...it's about time they died JUST SAYING. I HAVE NO HATE TOWARD THE ORIGINALS. If you hate me for this then THANK YOU...if I got haters then I must be doing something right ^^. FYI if I get any ranks or positions or numbers wrong then tell me and I may or may not fix them.**

In no time everyone was standing in front of Stage One in rows, the Top Ten in order in the front. I glanced to my left to see Felix trying to comfort Anna Belle, who was crying quietly. I assumed she wasn't going to join the Scouting Legion with him, so she was upset about it.

A tall, young man with jet black hair and lifeless gray eyes stepped onto the stage. I recognized him as Isaac Williams, Commander of the Survey Corps. He stood in the middle of the stage, his eyes turning a light blue under the moonlight as he smiled. "I am the tenth commander of the Survey Corps, Commander Isaac Williams. I'm here to motivate you to join the Scout Regiment, but I will instead tell you a bit of important information." Things went silent. I gulped. "Last year, the Titans were finally driven out of Wall Sina and the wall was patched up as much as possible. Since then, the Scouting Legion has been going on more and more expeditions. We will be going on another one in a month, and estimates conclude that fifteen percent of the new recruits who join will die. And in a year only elevn percent will be alive...but if you live, your survivability rate and skill will rise handsomely. Those of you who join will be given the honor of being the protectors of humanity and have the chance to unleash the rage that has burned in our hearts for the last thirty-three years onto the Titans, first hand. With that said, if you choose to join the Survey Corps, stay where you are standing. But if you choose to join another branch, you may leave now." Suddenly the only noise heard was the sound of footsteps pounding against the ground. I saw Ayaka turn around and begin to walk, before I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Wait, Ayaka!" She turned to face me, eyebrows raised in question. "What about what you told Vincent the first day? You wanted to follow in your dad's footsteps...wouldn't that mean you would join the Scout Regiment?" I asked. She laughed, smirking.

"I only said that to get him off my back. I never even met my damned excuse for a father!" she replied, yanking her arm from my grasp and walking away. I snorted. Once a bitch, always a bitch, I guess. I turned to Felix to see him staring at his feet, eyes brown. I put my hand on his shoulder. He ignored me.

"That's right, go!" I heard Nina say. I turned, seeing her scolding her sister. "Go join the Military Police and be the spineless nobody you've always been!" Penelope stared at her, fists clenches and eyes deadly. Finally she turned, Opal at her side, and walked away. The noise stopped, and all was silent once more.

I looked around to see that at least three quarters of all the cadets had left. I turned back to the stage to see Commander Isaac staring back at me, his eyes narrowed. My breath caught in my throat, his eyes staring right into my soul. He looked away, thankfully, and I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that there are so many of you who chose to stay. I give you all my heartfelt respect," he said. The Commander saluted. "Now show me your hearts!" Everyone saluted, shouting.

It's over. Training is finally...over. I'm now an official member of the Survey Corps! I couldn't help but let a wide smile spread across my face. Next month I'll be able to kill real live Titans! I might take this back later, but today is the best day of my life!

**Finally it's over. Thank God. This chapter was kind of hard to write and focus on so it pissed me off. FYI if you want spoilers because you can't be bothered with reading the entire chapter/story then PM me and I'll be glad to tell you everything. Before you say it, I KNOW I MADE ISAAC LOOK LIKE LEVI BUT HEY...at least Isaac is tall.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Wow this story is unpopular. Who cares, I enjoy typing this so I shall continue it ^^ REVIEW: Guest (May 11th :])**

_Katrina's POV_

Yesterday we arrived at the castle that the Scout Legion made residence in. Today was the day the new recruits would meet the Lance Corporal. I was excited...until rumors about said person reached my ears. "_He __kills puppies!" "I heard __the __C__orporal cuts off the pinkies of those who irritate him!" "If you make eye contact with the __C__aptain, you'll have nightmares for weeks!" _I don't know about you, but I like puppies...and my pinkies.

After running five laps at the crack of dawn, all of the new recruits were standing outside in two rows, facing each other, with two meters in between the rows. After the Corporal walked through the path we left then we would get on with our lives and train for the expedition next month. I was standing in between Felix and Violet in the middle of my row. I was facing Nina, narrowing my eyes when I saw her smirk at me. I turned to my right to see Commander Isaac walk from the castle door, standing in front of it and eying us.

"Recruits!" he said, "Stand up straight for your Corporal, Corporal Delilah Vel!" My eyes widened as he stepped to the side, revealing a _woman_. She reminded me of Ayaka, except prettier, if that was even possible. She stepped forward, the sun making her golden blonde hair, tied into a bun, shimmer. Her pine green eyes narrowed as she noticed almost everyone was staring at her with surprise.

"Do I really have to do this?" she asked the Commander without bothering to be subtle. He gave her a little push forward and she sighed, beginning to walk toward us with him following. The people she passed would quickly salute, noticeably having difficulty trying to refrain from gazing at her for too long. I gulped as she came closer to me. As soon as she was in front of me I saluted, holding my breath. She stopped, the suspense rising as a breeze blew hair out of her eyes. She turned her head a centimeter and gazed at me, eyes sparkling with interest. My eyes widened. She turned fully and stepped closer to me. "Name," she said dully.

"Katrina Ayumi," I answered quickly, looking all over her face except for her eyes. I noticed she had two scars in the shape of an 'X' on her right cheek, and another one going across her lips. She reached her hand out and grabbed my right wrist, which I had placed over my chest. Corporal Delilah slowly pulled it away, glancing at my scar as the tiniest of smirks tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"What might this be?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of it.

"A scar, ma'am," I said quietly, flinching as she glared daggers at me.

"What did you say?"

"Uh, a scar...sir?" I told her, fear more than evident in my voice.

"That's what I thought." She released my wrist. "I'll see to it later." My breath caught in my throat at that.

"Er..." I began, only to shut myself up when I saw her walk away.

"What do you think that was about?" Felix whispered to me. "How'd she know about your scar but not mine?"

"No idea," I told him, my wrist tingling where she had grabbed it.

_**Transition (fyi, "Vel" is pronounced "veil")**_

"Um, Felix? What are you doing?" Jackie asked him as she held the door to the mess hall open for him. He was carrying me bridal-style.

"Supposedly Kat's ankle hurts and she wanted me to carry her around," he answered, rolling his eyes as I began to giggle.

"But it does!" I insisted, smacking him softly on the back of the head.

"You two are so cute!" Violet chirped out of nowhere. "If you weren't related, you'd make the most _adorable_ couple!"

"Gross," my brother and I said simultaneously.

"See? You even say stuff at the same time!"

"Stop making them want to vomit, Violet," Lily said, also showing up out of nowhere. Violet pouted.

"You can't say you disagree with me!" she snorted, crossing her arms.

"I disagree with you," Jackie, Lily, Felix, and I said in perfect sync.

"No fair."

After we got breakfast, we made our way to a free table a few feet away from where the higher-ups' table is. There were about six seats to a table, and just about all of them were filled by now. I sat in the middle of one side, Violet and Jackie quickly making their way to sit next to me. Lily and Felix sat on the other side, leaving an empty chair in between them. Things were silent, besides the noise emitting from the other tables and the clanking of silverware from Felix and Lily trying to eat faster than each other. In ten seconds, Lily practically threw her fork at me, missing my face by an inch, and sneered at my brother.

"What? Open your mouth!" he demanded, leaning closer to her. She complied, sticking her tongue out and making an 'ah' noise. Felix narrowed his eyes, retreating to his previous position and nibbling on his last piece of bread. I giggled, not being able to help glancing over at the superiors' table.

I saw the Captain staring back at me, nonchalantly bringing a mug of, what I assumed was, coffee to her lips. A chill ran down my spine and I looked down. _What did she mean when she told me she'd see to my scar? Does she know about...the Titan thing?_ I took a deep breath and glanced back at her. She was speaking with another superior, not taking her eyes off of me. He nodded at her, turning to look at my direction. My eyes widened and I once again looked at my hands.

"Katrina?" I jolted in surprise, looking up to see Lily with a spoon on her nose. "You alright? You seem jumpy." I blinked, wondering how the spoon hasn't fallen yet.

"Yeah...the Captain just frazzled me a bit earlier," I told her, "and how the hell is that spoon on your face defying gravity?" She laughed, causing the silverware to fall onto the table.

"Takes practice. Lots of it," she answered, leaning back in her chair.

"Speaking of Delilah," Violet said, pausing to swallow whatever was in her mouth, "what was the deal with her and that scar of yours? How'd you get it anyway?" I froze, glancing to Felix and pleading for help with my eyes.

"I...stabbed her with a pen when we were kids," he replied quickly, winking at me. "Ain't that right, Kat?"

"Er, yeah."

"Sounds fun," Lily chuckled. "I've always wanted a sibling to stab with a pen."

"If that's the case, then -" Violet was cut off by Jackie throwing a fork at her. "Hey! That could've stabbed me!"

"I heard from a few of last year's new recruits that Delilah's mental health hasn't been one hundred percent since some sort of accident they were afraid to mention. Maybe she saw Katrina's scar and thought it was something else," she explained, her eyes not leaving her half-empty plate.

"But Kat told her it was just a scar," Lily argued.

"Odd place to have a scar, though, wouldn't you say? Even if it's just from childhood play." Things went silent, and I was praying in my head that the topic would be changed.

_**Transition (the topic was never changed ;])**_

In the middle of hand-to-hand combat training, I was tapped on the shoulder, startling me and causing me to fall on my ass as I was trying to kick my partner. "You're dismissed, Amber," a voice said, causing my opponent to nod and walk away. I looked up to see a young black-haired man, the superior Delilah was talking to earlier, holding his hand out to me. I hesitantly took it and he helped me up. "Sorry for scaring you," he said, a small smile on his face. "You're Katrina, yes?"

"Yeah," I replied, brushing dirt from my white pants. "Am I in trouble?" He chuckled.

"No, not at all. But I am excusing you from training this one time for something."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise. Follow me," he told me, turning around and walking toward the castle. I shrugged, jogging to him until I could match his pace.

He led me to the basement I never knew existed and I froze at the bottom of the stairs, seeing the Corporal leaning against a bookshelf reading a book. "I brought her," the man said, walking to Delilah and plucking the book from her hands.

"I'm not blind, Peter," she hissed. "By the way, that book is total bullshit."

"Less than the bullshit that comes out of your mouth everyday."

"Dick."

"Bitch."

I stifled a laugh, looking at my feet to try to hide my smile. "The fuck you laughing about, kid?" Corporal Delilah growled. I stopped smiling and looked up, seeing her piercing gaze.

"N-nothing," I stuttered, fiddling with the ends of my jacket sleeves behind my back.

"Peter, go away."

"Whatever." The man left, flashing me a look of sympathy before leaving the Corporal and me alone. I gulped, taking a step closer.

"I'm not going to rip your arms off with my bare hands, come closer," she sighed, jutting her hip out as she supported her weight on one leg. I walked closer until we were a foot apart. She was about six inches taller than me.

"Is this about my scar?" I blurted out, holding my breath as she raised an eyebrow. "...Sir?" She didn't say anything. Delilah pulled something out of her pocket and then grabbed a rag from the top of the bookshelf.

"Hold your right hand out," she commanded bluntly. I did as told, watching her cautiously. "Don't move." She quickly sliced the palm of my hand with a pocket knife, causing me to yelp. She grabbed a glass vile and held it under my hand, tilting it a little so the blood would pour into it. "Why are you so short?" she muttered, "I have to bend down to do this." After the vile was half-way filled she threw the rag at me, walking toward a wooden desk across the room. "Keep that rag on your hand unless you want to suffer from blood loss." I gulped, pressing the cloth against my palm. She came back with a tiny glass tray and a small brush. "Wrist," she said. I blinked, trying to process what she was saying and doing. The Captain rolled her eyes. "Show me your wrist, idiot." I pouted at the insult, showing her my scarred wrist. She held the tray next to my wrist as she brushed over the scar.

"What's that for?"

"Dead skin cells. Peter thinks it's going to help, but I doubt it." She threw the brush somewhere behind her and walked back to the desk.

"Help what?" I asked, dabbing the rag on my palm to collect the last drops of blood. Delilah sighed, muttering something along the lines of "I'm too stressed to wear a bun", before practically ripping the hair tie holding her hair up in a bun. Her hair fell, and I saw it was still being held up into a low ponytail. She turned to face me and crossed her arms, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"You've been injected, no?" she asked, eyes dull. I blinked a couple times. She groaned.

"Er, yes...I have."

"How old were you?"

"I believe I was nine."

"How old are you now?"

"Seventeen." Her eyes widened.

"But...you're so short," she stated. "When was the last time you used your Titan?"

"Never." A small scowl made its way to her face.

"Do you want to keep your abilities?" the Captain asked, scanning me.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it." I thought about it. It would be cool, but also dangerous. Eh, you only live once.

"Yes..." I told her, "I want to keep my Titan-shifting abilities."

"Then you'd better transform ASAP."

"Huh?" She slid off the desk and walked up to me.

"I'm going to show you something, Katrina, that you might be interested in." She un-tucked her shirt and lifted the front a little, showing her lower torso. I saw a scar. The same scar Felix and I had. My eyes widened. She tucked her blue shirt back in and stared at me.

"Y-you -"

"It's been ten years since I was injected," she interrupted me, crossing her arms, "and now I can't transform anymore. If you wait ten years after the injection without transforming even once, then you will lose the capability and your scars resurface."

"Resurface?" I asked. She raised her eyebrows, eyes landing on the scar on my cheek.

"You weren't injected with all of the serum, were you?"

"No. As far as I know, I only have half in me."

"Who has the other half?" I didn't answer. Delilah narrowed her eyes. "Answer me, child."

"Will you cut him, too?" I asked quietly.

"Maybe." I hesitated. "Spit it out," she snapped.

"My brother, Felix."

"You two don't look alike at all."

"So?"

"Ever consider he's adopted?"

"No!" I gasped, clenching my fists.

"Calm down, kid," she chuckled, "I'm just messing with you. But seriously, he looks nothing like you." Things went silent after that. "Would you lie to me, Katrina?" she suddenly asked. I jumped, startled by the sudden sound of her voice.

"N-no, sir. Why would you ask something like that?" She shrugged, her expression unreadable.

"I dunno. Sometimes brats like you like to lie."

"I'm not a brat," I mumbled, pouting. She smirked.

"I like you, kid," she told me. "And that's not something I say to everybody."

"She's not kidding!" Peter's voice sounded from the stairway. I turned to see him standing at the bottom.

"Were you there the whole time?" Delilah growled.

"Nope. Just got here. But I did overhear the cute little moment you two were having."

"'Moment'?! My only 'moments' are when I'm trying to rid the earth of Titan scum."

"Obviously we interpret the word moment differently."

"Katrina, you're dismissed," she said to me without taking her eyes off of her comrade. I nodded, as if she was looking at me, and scurried out of the room to let the two bicker by themselves.

_**Transition (Yes I used a YOLO reference. Deal with it) {Next day} **Delilah's POV_

I sighed as I sat down at my seat for breakfast, next to the head of the table which belonged to Isaac. "Why so happy, sunshine?" Peter and his annoying voice asked. I didn't bother wasting a glare on him as I ran a hand through my hair, messing up my neat bun.

"Fuck you and fuck my hair," I growled, tearing the two hair ties holding up my hair from my scalp. As it fell, all eyes at the table landed on me. I ignored the idiotic males surrounding me as I quickly put my hair back up and grabbed my coffee mug, taking a long sip. "The hell are you guys staring at?"

"The art of 'tying up hair', as you women would call it," Troy, one of my squad members, said. I stared at him with an expression that read _Is it just me, or are you the stupidest person on the planet?_. He looked away. I continued drowning myself with coffee.

"What's wrong?" Isaac asked. Ignoring him completely, I turned my attention to Peter.

"The Katrina thing kept me up all night," I told him, setting my empty mug down.

"Interesting -"

"Not like that, you perverted psycho path." Everyone at my table, except for me, laughed. The laughter finally settled after what felt like hours.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you stressing over it?"

"No clue."

"What are you talking about?" Isaac asked Peter and me. We hesitantly looked to his direction.

"Nothing," we said simultaneously.

"That's not suspicious at all," the Commander sighed, rolling his eyes. "Tell me."

"It's nothing, really," I said sweetly, gaze softening. "We were just talking about -"

"Del!" Peter hissed.

"Let her speak," Isaac snorted. Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We were just talking about the fact that Katrina Ayumi and her brother are suspicious characters and will have experiments conducted upon them," I told him, batting my eyelashes and tilting my head a bit.

"...Okay," he breathed, totally lost in my eyes.

"And said experiments might have fatal consequences."

"...Okay." I patted his hand and looked back to Peter, winking at him and smirking.

"Works every time," I mouthed, causing him to nod in approval. The others were just staring at me, eyebrows raised in question. I glanced at Isaac to make sure he was still dreaming before saying, "It's called charm, fellas, you might want to grow breasts and beauty as impeccable as mine before you try it out, though." And with that, I got up from my seat and took my dishes away.

After I put them who-knows-where, I walked over to Katrina's table and stood behind her. Her brother and the blonde girl next to him stared at me fearfully, cutting off whatever conversation they were engaged in. Soon enough my target had turned around and looked at me, freezing. "G-good morning, Captain," she said.

"What makes it good?" I asked, challenging her with my eyes. If she was worth my time, she would retort.

"We're alive and well," she replied, having the nerve to let her eyes show flames of challenge back at me. I narrowed my eyes, smirking.

"I have a request...no, an order...for you, Ayumi," I told her, pulling her seat away from the table. "Make sure you and your brother are in the basement as soon as you finish 3DMG training. Yes, the basement is the same room Peter dragged you into yesterday. He likes to call it his 'secret lab'. Dumbass. Anyway, that is all. Go back to doing whatever you're doing." I walked toward the stairs that led to the bedrooms, on my way to mine to pretend to do paperwork and instead beat the shit out of my punching bag.

**Ugh, bad way to end this chapter if you ask me. No...don't you dare say it. No. Don't. Stop. NO SHIPPING DELILAH AND KATRINA ALLOWED. NO. Yeah, you probably weren't thinking anywhere near that but I wanna be safe. Yes, Isaac is hopelessly in love with Delilah, I find it utterly adorable. I kind of think this chapter was confusing, so if you have any questions don't be afraid to leave it in the reviews or PM me about it. Thank you for reading, and as a wise woman once said: reviews are like porn to writers, so satisfy our urges!**


	11. Chapter 10

**REVIEWS: Guest (Thank you :D) &amp; Leah Hunter (Wow. You just made my day. I am honestly flattered ^/^ {my failed attempt at a blush emote}. You are my new best friend. I do and don't have a plan on where the story is going; I think about it a lot, though, and I'll figure something out. And, trying hard not to give away anything, Felix and Kat do get close later on...very close).**

_Felix's POV_

"Hey, Felix," I heard Lily say. I turned to my left and saw her approaching me. "You see those Titan dummies over there?" she asked, pointing toward the five training dummies we were supposed to be cutting up in a matter of time.

"Yeah."

"I bet that I can slice through 'em deeper than you can," she challenged, crossing her arms. I smirked at her.

"Challenge accepted. If I win -"

"If you win, I'll start to go easier on you in combat training."

"Just because you win a lot doesn't mean it's hard to beat you!"

"Then why don't you do it?" We stared at each other for a minute. "If I win," she began, interrupting the silence, "you have to walk around wearing something of mine for the rest of the day."

"What is this 'something'?" I asked, suddenly becoming nervous.

"You'll see."

Suddenly a whistle was heard, signaling for us to get going. Lily and I immediately began zipping toward the first fake Titan. She ran her blades through it and cut out a good amount. I did the same, snorting when I saw the gap she made was an inch deeper than mine.

This went on for about ten minutes until this training was considered over. I saw Lily walking toward Katrina and Violet, a wide grin plastered across her face. I gulped, having a feeling I lost the bet.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

"Oh my God..." I gasped when Felix and I met at the stairs leading to the basement. "What the -"

"It was a bet, okay?!" he growled, a cute blush spreading across his face.

"I'm guessing you lost?"

"It was against Lily."

"Oh, that makes sense, then." He glared at me. "Er, sorry. She made you wear _that_, though?"

"I have to keep wearing it for the rest of the damned day," he grumbled, pouting. In his messy blonde hair was a big, pink bow with frilly white lace borders.

"Hey, she could have made you wear a bra, consider yourself lucky," I told him. His face turned redder. I opened the door to to the basement and led Felix in. I saw Peter at his desk examining stuff while Delilah was watching over his shoulder. She turned to us and raised an eyebrow at my brother. "He lost a bet," I told her. She chuckled, walking to us.

"Katrina, come with me while Peter examines whats-his-name," she ordered.

"His name is Felix," I hissed, flinching when she glared at me.

"Watch your tone, child." She turned, walking to the far wall of the room. I followed her uneasily, worried about Felix and about the Corporal's temper. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "You lied," she said bluntly.

"Huh?"

"You said you had half of the serum in your system. You only have a quarter," she explained. "That would explain why the cut I gave you didn't regenerate, and that scar on your cheek. How long ago did you get that?"

"Two years."

"Damn. I'm starting to doubt you even have a Titan form."

"Does this mean Felix has three quarters?" I asked. Delilah shrugged.

"Maybe. We need to check out his blood," she answered, glancing behind me to see what Peter was doing. I turned, seeing him cut open my brother's palm. I quickly turned back to the woman in front of me, using all of my will-power to not charge over to Peter and Felix and stop the 'examination'. "Where did you get the idea that you were injected with half?" Delilah asked me, catching my attention.

"My mother's journal," I told her.

"May I see it?"

"No."

"No?" she snorted, narrowing her eyes. "Why not?"

"It's mine."

"No shit. Let me see the book."

"I'd rather you don't..."

"Katrina Ayumi," she snarled, causing me to freeze and avoid any eye contact, "I order you to get that damned book and give it to me." I sighed in defeat, turning around to see smoke rising from my brother's palm.

"Wha-what's happening?" he gasped.

"You're regenerating," Delilah answered. "It took longer than it would for a normal shifter, though. Peter, take notes." A few seconds passed before his hand stopped emitting smoke, his palm now appearing unharmed.

"Cool," Felix said, smiling. I rolled my eyes, walking to the stairs to get my journal from the room I shared with Violet, Jackie, and Lily.

_**Transition (One month later)**_

The expedition was a success. Sure, 20 percent of the Scouting Regiment kind of died...but we were able to wipe out half of the Titan population within Wall Rose! The deaths were worth it, if you ask me.

Now, I was sitting at the base of a tree with Felix instead of training like everyone else. He was quietly braiding my hair as I daydreamed. "Hey, Kat?" he said, interrupting my dreams.

"Yeah?" I answered sleepily, the mid-summer heat melting my brain.

"You sure we won't get in trouble for ditching?"

"Probably," I sighed, deciding to slip out of my jacket. "The Corporal and I are kind of friends...in a way...so if she catches us, the punishment, if any, won't be too terrible."

"Good point," he chirped, holding his hand in front of my face to ask for a hair tie. I slid one onto his wrist and his hand retreated back to my hair immediately.

As he let the now-finished braid fall onto my shoulder, I heard someone clearing their throat. My eyes widened and I slowly turned around, seeing none other than Delilah standing there with my journal in her hand. _Speak of the devil,_ I groaned in my mind.

"Felix, get out of here," she deadpanned, eyes focused on me.

"Y-yes, sir!" he squeaked, getting up and running toward the training grounds. A chilling silence was all that remained. I gulped, staring at the ground.

"Look at me, Katrina." She tapped her foot impatiently. I slowly gazed upward, meeting her stare. "You're not in trouble. Stand up and stop looking at me like a kicked puppy," she sighed, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. I did as told, subconsciously reaching for my journal. She grabbed my wrist to stop me. "What do you think you're doing? I'm not done reading it yet," Delilah hissed. My arm retreated.

"How far have you gotten?" I asked.

"I'm on the last few pages, I read fast but I don't have a lot of free time."

"So you know about -" She cut me off with a nod. I looked at the ground again, stuffing my hands in my jean pockets. "You probably think it's stupid, huh?" I sighed.

"Actually, no. I don't," she told me. My jaw dropped as I raised my head to look at her.

"We are talking about Wall Naomi, right?!" I asked hurriedly. She chuckled.

"Yes, last time I checked. But seriously, that fourth wall crap doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'd like to check it out sometime, see if it exists." Were these words actually coming from the Captain's mouth?! I think I'm hallucinating from the heat. Yeah...that's it. The heat is getting to me, is all.

"Say that again, please, sir? I'm afraid -"

"I want to go on an expedition to find the fourth wall, Wall Naomi," she repeated, crossing her arms. "You got something in your ears, kid, or are you just not listening?"

"N-no, sir! I'm listening," I stuttered. Delilah narrowed her eyes for a moment before opening the journal.

"According to your mother, the wall is located one thousand meters north of Maria. With that said, it seems that the first step would be to get rid of the rest of the Titans within Rose. After that, we patch up the hole, blah blah blah, _then_, we exterminate the Titans in Maria. We patch up _that_ hole, and after that we can get down to business."

"With all due respect, sir," I interrupted as she was taking a breath, "I believe your plan is too lengthy. In a year from now, we will only have accomplished the Wall Rose part, I believe. It will take at least two years to take Wall Maria back."

"So what if it'll take a couple years? I'm only thinking of the safety of my soldiers."

"I understand, but what if something happens in those three years?"

"Like what?"

"Death, injury, illness, a new form of Titan -"

"_New form of Titan_?!" she repeated, laughing. "I honestly doubt that Titans will evolve in only three years, or whatever you're implying." I nodded in defeat. She sighed, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, kid, I get that you want to get to Wall Naomi as soon as possible for the sake of humanity, but if we do it your way then many people might die. Imagine the burden it will put on you. You're too young to have something like that."

"I already do..." I mumbled, looking at the ground.

"I am going to speak with Isaac about this," Delilah said, tapping the book cover with a finger, "and we'll see what he thinks. He'll most likely agree with me, considering the fact that it is near impossible for him to speak logically when I make 'the face'." This perked my interest.

"'The face'?" I asked, smiling. She clicked her tongue.

"No, I am not showing it to you."

"Aw, please?"

"Not a chance."

"But, sir!" I squealed, my voice raising an octave. The Corporal giggled (yes, _giggled_!), rolling her eyes.

"You're so cute," she muttered. "Alright, I'll show you the damned face." I smiled brightly. She tilted her head to the side a bit and she batted her eyelashes, gaze softening immediately. Her mouth curved into a sweet, almost nonexistent smile.

"Wow, I feel the need to do something for you, now," I told her. Her face returned to its natural state and she patted my head.

"If you want, I can teach you how to do it."

"Will you?"

"Maybe. If you catch me in the right mood. Now, come on, before someone notices you're absence from training."

_**Transition **Felix's POV_

"Agh!" I hissed as I was thrown to the ground by none other than Lily. She grabbed my wrist and held it in between my shoulder blades, pressing her foot against the small of my back to keep me down.

"Give up?" she asked. I could _hear _her smirking...or maybe it was my imagination. I sighed in defeat and stopped struggling. "Thought so."

"Well, you thought wrong," I told her, hooking my ankle around hers. She tripped and fell beside me. I got up and pinned her down, my knees on either side of her waist as my hands held her wrists above her head.

**DON'T THINK ANYTHING SEXUAL OF THIS. I KNOW YOU ARE, YOU DIRTY, DIRTY PERSON. (This does NOT count as a transition).**

"Clever," she noted. "But not as clever as me." She lifted her head and headbutted me, causing me to wince and bring my hands to my forehead. She shimmied from under me and stood up, bringing her foot to my chest to push me back to the ground. "And here I thought you had a hard head, Felix," she teased, putting her hands on her hips. I gritted my teeth, grabbed her ankle and pulling it, causing her to fall onto her back. Her head slammed against the ground. I gasped, getting to my knees and crawling to her side.

"Shit, are you okay?" I asked, studying her features. Her face was sort of similar to mine, in a way. Especially her eyes. Lily sat up and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed, checking her hand for blood. Luckily, there was none. She looked at me with a soft smile, something I couldn't identify sparkling in her eyes. "You beat me for the first time, congratulations." I blinked, processing what she just said. I smiled.

"Yeah...I did!" I gasped.

"I'm so proud of you, Felix."

"Wait, what?"

"Er..." She turned to the side, cursing at herself. She turned back to me. "Nothing. I...I have to go," she told me, getting to her feet and running toward the castle.

"Lily, wait!" I called after her, but she didn't stop.

There was nothing wrong with what she said, but it was the way she said it. It was as if she was speaking to a child, or a student. Kind of like the way Katrina talks to me sometimes.

_**Transition **Violet's POV **(This is like right after the training session between Felix and Lily. It's gonna be short but it's necessary for later things. Kind of like everything categorized within "Felix's POV")**_

I walked toward the bedroom I shared with Katrina, Lily, and the other one to retrieve a hair tie for Kitty Kat. As I was about to open the door it opened by itself. Before I could think I was magic or something, I saw Lily standing in the doorway, face flushed and eyes watery. She stared at me in surprise.

"Lily...are you okay? Were you crying?" I asked. She pushed past me, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm fine, I wasn't crying," she growled, walking down the hall.

"Wait, Lily, tell me what's wrong!" I pleaded, running to catch up to her. I grabbed her arm to stop her. She pulled her arm from my grasp and turned, glaring daggers at me.

"I'm _fine_!" she all but yelled. I looked into her eyes and saw that her irises were red. I gasped, taking a step back.

"Lily, you're eyes are...red."

"Shit!" she hissed to herself, glaring at me one last time before turning around and stomping away. "Just, leave me alone!"

"But -"

"Leave. Me. _Alone_!"

_**Transition **Katrina's POV **{A week or two later}**_

I yawned, picking at my food with a fork.

"Kat, it's a free day today. Why didn't you sleep in?" Violet asked, noticing my drowsiness.

"Corporal Delilah wanted me up and at it for something. Same with Felix."

"So you won't be hanging out with us?" she gasped, acting like it was the worst tragedy in the world.

"Sorry, Violet," I sighed.

"What's this 'something' you speak of?" Lily asked. _A Titan experiment_, I wanted to say.

"I dunno, she didn't give me details," I said instead. Lily turned to Felix and mumbled something before standing up and pushing her plate to the middle of the table.

"Where are you going?" Violet asked timidly.

"To our room. I'm spending the day there."

"What? Are you saying I have to spend the day with _Jackie _all by myself?!" she whined.

"Hey!" Jackie hissed.

"It might ease the tension between you two a bit. Later, guys." Lily put her hand up in a sign of goodbye before leaving the mess hall.

"What's wrong with Lily?" I asked Violet. She shrugged.

"She's been like that ever since I caught her crying a while ago. I tried to comfort her and find out what the problem was, but she got all snappy and left," she replied, grabbing Lily's abandoned plate and pulling it to herself to eat the leftovers.

"How long is a while?" Felix suddenly asked.

"I dunno. A week or two?"

"I'll fix this." He got up and ran in the direction Lily left.

"Felix, come back!" I called, not too loud, though. "What about...and he's gone."

"He'll be back," Jackie said.

_**Transition** Felix's POV_

"Lily!" I called, seeing her just about to open the door to her room. She turned her head to look at me, eyes wide.

"G-go away," she told me.

"You've been acting weird since the time I beat you in training and I know why." She stared at me, eyes searching my face. She slowly shook her head.

"No...you can't possibly know."

"I do, Lily," I said, taking a step closer. She stood still, one hand on the doorknob.

"How did you -"

"It's because I beat you, isn't it?" I asked. Lily blinked, a look of relief washing over her face. In a split second that relief turned to anger.

"How could you think that I'd act so solitary and ill-tempered just because of one stupid loss in what wasn't even a real battle?!" she snapped, taking a step closer. "I'm such an idiot, thinking you actually managed to find out." She walked up to me and flicked my forehead.

"Ow!"

"Get it through your thick skull, _Felix_," she growled, saying my name with venom. "And actually take a moment to think about why I could possibly be acting like this after I said that to you that day. Put the pieces together and figure it out yourself!" And with that, she turned around briskly and walked into her room, slamming the door.

The phrase, _"I'm so proud of you, Felix"_, ran through my head. Then I remembered what she mumbled to me at breakfast. _"Be careful."_

_**Transition** Katrina's POV** {I feel kind of bad switching through POVs here and there and everywhere. Put up with me, please ^^}**_

"Alright, you two," Delilah said, facing us. "Today we will unleash your Titan forms." We were out in the forest, far away from the castle. Felix raised his hand. "Yes, Felix?" she asked, rolling her eyes at him.

"Why are we so far away from the castle?" he asked, as if the answer wasn't obvious.

"If you go crazy in your Titan then I don't want you anywhere near the castle."

"What happens if we go crazy?"

"I'll slice you right out of that big pile of flesh."

"Will it hurt?"

"Probably not. Are you done asking stupid questions now?" He nodded. "Good. Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first," I said, cutting off whatever Felix was about to say.

"No fair," he muttered, pouting. I stepped forward and looked at Delilah expectantly. She walked up to me and slid a metal bracelet over my right hand.

"What's that for?"

"Shut up." She then looked up and pointed at a tree. "You see that tree? Knock it down."

"Er -"

"I thought I told you to shut up." She glared at me. I gulped. "Now, do what I do." She brought her hand to her mouth and bit her thumb, drawing blood. I nodded, looking at my right hand. I took a deep breath and bit my thumb.

Nothing happened. "Huh...?" I mumbled. Delilah, too, was dumbfounded.

"...Maybe you didn't bite hard enough," she said, looking at my thumb. It was indeed bleeding, but not as much as the Captain's still was. "Try again." I sighed, biting my left thumb hard. Again, nothing happened except for the excruciating pain shooting up my arm. "Were you thinking about your mission? To knock a tree down?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then...I don't get it," she muttered, looking at my wrist. She narrowed her eyes, grabbing the bracelet and taking it off. She played with it a bit and slipped it back onto my wrist. It was a hell of a lot tighter now, and it wouldn't budge any further than my scar.

"What -"

"Maybe if the metal is touching your scar, it'll work. I'm not sure sure, but it's worth a shot," Delilah explained. "Now try again." I nodded, putting my hand to my mouth and sinking my teeth into my right thumb.

_**Transition **Delilah's POV_

I gasped as a sudden burst of wind knocked me to the ground. I immediately got to my knees and looked up, seeing a Titan with a female body structure standing in front of me. It was fifteen meters tall, skinless and without lips. It's short brown hair danced in the wind as it stared ahead, almost appearing lost. I heard a scream and looked to where I assumed Felix was.

"Felix?" I called. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah!" he called back. He must have just been spooked by his sister's Titan.

"Katrina!" I yelled, using my ODM gear to scale her. I stood on her shoulder. "Knock a tree down, that's an order!" The Titan turned its head to look at me. My eyes widened as her pupils dilated. I zipped to a nearby tree before she had a chance to swat me off of her shoulder, which is exactly what she attempted to do. "Dammit!" I hissed as she walked toward the tree I was hiding in. I flew toward her and missed slamming into her head by an inch. She reached to the side of her head to try and grab me but her reflexes weren't too fast. I zipped to her nape and cut it, seeing her head and upper torso buried beneath flesh. "Aw, shit." I leapt into the air before a giant hand could hit me. I landed on the hand and sank my blades into it. The Titan screeched in pain, pulling its hand (and my blades) away. I reloaded my blades and sliced the flesh keeping Katrina in place. I pulled her out and jumped off of the Titan, landing perfectly on the ground behind it. I put Katrina on the grass as I watched her Titan slump against the tree I was previously perched in. Its weight eventually knocked the plant down. "Well, I did tell her to knock a tree down," I mumbled, shrugging. Her Titan's body quickly evaporated, leaving nothing but a fallen tree as evidence.

"Is Katrina okay?!" I heard Felix ask. I turned and saw him running toward us. I glanced at the girl and looked at her face closely. She looked cute when she was sleeping.

"Yeah, she's fine, just unconscious," I told him as he knelt beside us.

"Does this mean it's my turn now?" he asked.

"No. Who knows if you'll go crazy like your sister or not?"

"Why can't you just -"

"Felix," I hissed, glaring at him. He shut up instantly, looking back to Katrina. I grabbed the metal bracelet squeezing her wrist and pulled it off. Stuffing it into my pocket, Felix looked at me again.

"Will I need to wear that around my scar, too, sir?" he asked, not looking too thrilled about it.

"I don't believe so. If you were injected with three quarters then I'm sure you should be able to transform without having your circulation cut for a couple minutes."

"The bracelet's that tight?"

"Yep." There was a moment of silence, leaving Felix to study his sister and me to think about when his Titan experiment should be. "We'll take her back to the castle when she wakes up. I don't need to answer any questions about why she's like this," I told him.

"Understood."

**I feel like ending it now. Okay, now you may ship Delilah and Katrina. I give you permission. If you think you know Lily's secret then put it in the reviews! I think I kind of made it obvious...again. Ugh, I'm bad at keeping secrets. Someone please vote in my poll ;-;. Thanks for your support, I appreciate it so much! And remember, reviews are like porn to writers, so satisfy our urges!**


	12. Chapter 11

_Delilah's POV_

I heard pounding on my bedroom door, interrupting my slumber. I groaned, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and rubbing my eyes.

"Captain! Captain, come quick!" sounded from the other side of the door. I got up and dragged myself to the door, opening it with little haste.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing a pair of terrified subordinates.

"It's outside!"

"What's outside?"

"No time to explain, we must hurry before it gets away!" One of them grabbed my arm, pulling me down the hall with the other one following.

"At least let me grab my boots," I growled.

"No time!" We eventually found ourselves outside in front of the castle.

"What'd you two drag me out here for? It's freezing." The one with my arm still in his grasp pointed upward, his gaze following. I looked to where he was pointing and gasped, eyes widening. Seven meters away from us was a skinless sixteen-meter Titan, staring back at us with it's blazing amber eyes.

"It knocked out all of our watch towers," one of the subordinates said quietly.

"And killed nearly all of the look-outs," the other one added. I took a step forward, yanking my arm from the boy's grasp, and held out my hand.

"Give me your gear," I ordered, keeping my gaze on the Titan.

"W-what?!"

"You heard me." I turned to face him.

"You don't understand, Corporal –"

"What can I possibly not understand about this fucking situation?!" I scolded.

"This Titan isn't like the others, it's faster."

"So it's an abnormal, what's new?"

"No, it's faster than any abnormal I've ever seen –"

"Well lucky for you I've been in this business for way longer than you have, so if you'd just hand over your gear –"

"It's gone!" the boy's partner gasped. I whipped my head around and saw no trace that a Titan has set foot in this territory.

"Impossible! I only looked away for a second!"

"I told you, sir."

"Shut up, I'm done talking to you," I growled, taking a few steps forward. I noticed a slight, almost nonexistent, silhouette of a Titan's body. I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it in the direction I was facing. Once it hit my target, the silhouette became the same Titan from before. It immediately turned around and ran away.

"I-it can turn invisible?!" one of the brats behind me gasped. I watched the Titan run until I became bored and turned around to my subordinates.

"What time is it?" I asked dully.

"Er, 3:30...?" one of them told me.

"Acceptable. Alright, you two, you stay here and make sure that abnormal doesn't come back. If it does, show it no mercy."

"But, sir, it seems to have some sort of intelligence."

"So?"

"It might know how to dodge our attacks..."

"So?" They remained silent. "As I said before: No mercy. I'm going to sleep, and if you wake me up again there will be consequences."

_**Transition**_

I knocked on the Commander's door, secretly hoping he wouldn't take his time to answer like I usually do. Luckily, the door opened right away. "Delilah? Shouldn't you be outside training the younger soldiers?"

"Like I'd want to put up with a handful of sweaty pricks and pansies who think they're bigger and badder than they actually are," I groaned, rolling my eyes. He chuckled, motioning with his head to his quarters.

"Would you like to come in?"

"Naw, I'm alright here."

"What did you want to talk to me about, then?"

"Last night there was a Titan on our territory. It took out all of the watch towers and killed eighty to ninety percent of the look-outs. As far as I know, it didn't eat anyone. This is fairly strange, as you would know. I had assumed it was just a mere abnormal, but it has the ability to become invisible.

"I have two theories. One, is that the Titans have evolved and obtained magical powers. Actually, that was Peter's theory, so of course it sounds absurd. _My_ theory, is that it is a Titan-shifter. But only the Scouting Legion has the knowledge of where our watch towers are, so there is a traitor among us.

"I know a thing or two about Titan-shifters. The human form and Titan form have appearance similarities, one way or another. It could be hair color, eye color, body shape, height, anything. This Titan had amber eyes and brown hair, and it had a male body structure. Now, it is not uncommon for female Titan-shifters to have male Titans, but those ones usually have longer hair. This one had regular short hair. It was also skinless, so skin color comparison isn't an option here..."

"Whoa, whoa, _whoa_," Isaac interrupted me, holding his hands up as a sign to stop. "Slow down. I only got about half of that."

"Well I'd absolutely love to drone on and on about this topic, but I have other matters to attend to at the moment," I said.

"You're going to do your job and train the newbies?"

"Psh, that's not my damn job. I'm going to lock myself up in my room and enjoy the seclusion for as long as it lasts. Oh, and be a dear and bring some coffee or booze or...whatever is available to my room. Except tea, you know I hate tea. Thank you!" Before he could say anything else, I was already on my way to my room, which wasn't too far away from his.

I entered, letting the door close behind me, and sat at my desk. I scanned the piles of paperwork I need to do but probably won't until last minute and sighed, pushing it all to a corner and grabbing Ayumi's journal. I opened it to the page I had left bookmarked and began to read.

_I know this is a year late, but I forgot and was too busy to write this down the day it _really_ happened. I have added another bird to my nest, another flower to my garden. Great metaphors, huh? Anyway, I brought home another child! The only thing is, he's not really mine. This little man was kindly given to me by a close friend of mine, Amy Hart. God bless her soul...I heard she was recently struck with the flu. She told me she hadn't named the baby yet, so she gave me her permission to name him instead. The little guy was so happy when I first held him so I decided to name him Felix, which means 'happy' in Swedish. Why Swedish? I don't know...I just felt like it. The only concern I had was Felix's sister, whom I did not know the name of. If Amy was willing to give me Felix, why wouldn't she give me her little girl, as well? When I asked her about it she refused to explain in full detail and would usually brush me away in a matter of minutes. I eventually stopped asking and decided to be content with my new baby boy. Katrina sure has taken a liking to him, almost as if it were love at first sight._

An obnoxiously loud knocking interrupted my reading. "Come in," I said. The door opened to reveal Isaac holding my coffee mug. He walked to me. "Aw, aren't you nice?" I praised, reaching out for my drink. He raised the mug from my reach and brought it to his lips, taking a long slurp. I gave him a death glare. "You got your Isaac germs all over it." He chuckled, looking at me from behind the mug.

"If I didn't mind your Delilah germs, you shouldn't mind my Isaac germs."

"Those are two completely different specimen of germs."

"Alright, alright," he sighed, smiling. "I'll finish the rest of this coffee, wash the cup, and then bring it back to you with more coffee?"

"Sounds acceptable. Chop chop!" I ordered, clapping my hands for emphasis.

"Yes, Commander Delilah," he joked, turning around and exiting my room. _Commander Delilah...yeah, I like that sound of that,_ I thought.

My focus returned to the journal. I rested my elbows on the wooden surface and rubbed my temples, letting it all sink in. So Felix _was_ adopted. From the Hart family. Why does that name sound familiar? Not important. What is important is that I tell Katrina about this right away.

_**Transition **Katrina's POV_

"Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three," I counted quietly, doing push-ups with a few other girls in the training grounds. At thirty, I felt a boot push me flat against the ground.

"Ayumi," I heard Corporal's voice above me, "get up and follow." Once she removed her shoe from my back I got to my knees and pushed myself up. She began walking away, and I hurriedly speed-walked to catch up. I walked at her side, the silence between us remaining unbroken. She shot a quick glance at me and hummed. "You grow an inch or two? I thought you were a head shorter than me."

"I was that height when I was fifteen."

"Quite short for that age, wouldn't you say?"

"How tall are you, sir?"

"5'9''. That would make you 5'4''?"

"5'5''."

"Close enough."

"What did you want to talk about, sir?" I asked, looking up at her.

"I'll tell you when we are far enough from the training grounds," Delilah replied, keeping her gaze on where she was headed.

"Why must we be far?" She went silent. Suddenly she stopped walking and turned to face me. She held my journal in front of her chest, tapping the cover with her fingernails. Why hadn't I noticed she was carrying it before? "Are you giving it back to me, sir?"

"No." The way she said that single word sent chills up my spine. The Captain opened the book and flipped through the pages, stopping at one near the end. She turned the book around so the pages faced me and pointed at one. "Read." I did as told.

Once I finished my eyes began to water and my mouth was agape in shock. I slowly looked up to Delilah to see her staring back at me. She nodded. Tears spilled from the corner of my eyes and I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to contain my tiny sobs and hiccups. She shut the book, looking away for a moment. I let out a cry of despair, taking a step closer to her and wrapping my arms around her. I needed to hold something, and she was the closest thing. Delilah flinched, and I could feel her frown, but suddenly I felt a hand in between my shoulder blades and another in my hair. She was actually hugging me back? I could care less if she was hugging me back or pushing me away; all I needed to do now was cry until my heart's content. My cries were no longer silent, and it seemed as if Captain didn't mind one bit as she pet my hair and murmured words of comfort.

_**Transition (sometime after lunch)**_

I opened the door to my bedroom and saw Lily laying in her bunk reading a book. She glanced over to me and gave a small smile. "Hey," she said, returning her focus to her book. A pang of jealousy and anger struck my heart, noticing the fact that Felix and Lily looked so akin. They're voices were even similar...in a way. I closed the door behind me and walked to her, plucking the book from her hands and setting it next to her. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I know." With those two words, Lily's expression turned from nonchalant to horror. She propped herself up on her elbows and stared at me in the eye.

"...Know what?" she dared to ask.

"About your _brother_," I told her, narrowing my eyes.

"I don't have a brother."

"Cut the bullshit!" I hissed. She glared at me silently, frowning. "I know all about you and Felix –"

"That's not even his real name," she muttered.

"Tell me everything." With a sigh she ran a hand through her hair, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"His birth name is Aaron Hart."

"That's it?"

"You told me you knew all about us."

"Well, not _all_..."

"Then let's start with why he was given to you and your family," she growled, hair falling in front of her eyes to hide them. "Our parents came from a long line of cruel people who believed that only the first born child deserved their love. They believed that the second-born was weak and worthless. Aaron...I mean Felix...and I are near-identical twins. I'm sort of surprised no one has compared our appearances yet.

"My mother and father had their minds set on abandoning Felix and leaving him to starve. But then my mother had the smart idea of handing him over to your mother. Our houses were adjacent to each other, so the hand-off was easy. What wasn't easy is what I had to bear with the next thirteen years.

"All day, everyday, I would sit by the window and watch you and Felix play. I watched him grow up in foreign home. It was heartbreaking, and whenever he looked at me through the glass I would silently begin to cry. Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep myself from charging outside and taking him back?

"When I saw you two on the first day of training, I could hardly believe my eyes. I had planned on introducing myself to him and telling him everything, but I realized that would traumatize him and cause a small feud between you and me, since you do care for him so. So I kept my distance and watched you from afar, again, and saw that you were a good sister to him. I was content with letting you be his rock.

"But even though I have accepted the fact that he will never love me the same way again, I am still easily ruptured if we share something of a bonding moment. Like a couple weeks ago when I was secluding myself from the rest of the world...it was because I witnessed his first win in battle training with me. I accidentally let some words of praise slip and he reacted as any confused boy would." I watched as a tear fell down her cheek. I reached my hand forward in an attempt to brush her hair from her eyes, but with her cat-like reflexes she grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"Do your eyes change color, too?" I asked, previous anger subsiding. Lily sighed, releasing my wrist and pushing her hair behind her ear. Her eyes were green and watery.

"They're green, aren't they?" she asked. I nodded. "Green stands for sadness, but so does brown. The difference between the two is that green means you are either crying or about to cry. Brown is just regular depression. Red stands for anger; ice blue means you are 'in the zone', as I like to say, AKA you're fighting or killing with extreme persistence and focus; and regular blue means happy, or normal. I taught myself how to control the change of colors, but it is fairly difficult to keep my eyes from turning green or red."

"Why are you –"

"Why am I telling you this?" she interrupted, "Because I would think it could help you easily understand what Felix is feeling if his eyes change." Things went silent between us as we continued to stare at each other.

"How do we tell Felix?" I asked quietly. She chuckled, shrugging.

"Not my problem, because I'm not having any part in telling him. He knows you better, he trusts you more, so you have to tell him," she told me, crossing her arms. I sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"Because I am."

"Yep, you're Felix's sister alright," I muttered, turning around and walking to the door.

"Katrina," she said, stopping me in my tracks.

"Yeah?" I asked without looking back.

"Don't explain the details to him like I did to you. I...I want to be the one to let him know." I nodded, opening the door and exiting the room.

**Intense. (THIS COUNTS AS A TRANSITION {people are getting ready to sleep right about now}).**

I walked up a staircase to get to my bedroom, yawning from exhaustion. Then it hit me. _Crap, I never told Felix!_ I ran up the last few steps and down the hall, stopping at Felix's room. I raised my fist, about to knock on the door, when a voice I knew all too well stopped me.

"He's not in there."

I slowly turned my head and saw Delilah standing at the other end of the hall, face blank. "Where is he?" I asked, wondering where he could be at this hour and how the Captain knew about it. She motioned with her head to follow her as she turned to walk down another set of stairs. I backed away from the door and followed her.

She lead me to the basement and there I saw Felix sitting on the floor, hands chained to the far wall. I gasped, running to him. "Katrina, wait!" Delilah called. I ignored her, though, and kept running. "Halt! That's a damned order!" I skidded to a halt, panting and staring at my – adopted – brother. He looked back at me, blue eyes tired. I looked over my shoulder at Delilah, gritting my teeth.

"Why is he chained up?!" I demanded, not giving two shits if I'm punished or scolded for my tone. She didn't say a word as she began to walk towards me. I expected her to hit me or do whatever it was that Corporals did when their subordinates stepped out of line, but instead she passed me without even sparing me a second glance. She bent over Felix and reached out to his head, yanking a single strand of hair from his scalp. He glared up at her, obviously biting back a retort. She turned and walked back to me, holding his hair in front of my face.

"Watch," she ordered bluntly. So I did. I focused on the tiny hair for about five seconds before the dirty blonde color turned brown. I raised an eyebrow. "There was a Titan spotted seven meters from the castle last night," Delilah began, not loosening her grip on the strand of hair one bit. "It was skinless, had amber eyes, had brown hair, and a male body form. It knocked down every single watch tower and killed countless people _without_ eating them."

"What does this have to do with my brother?" I asked quietly, internally cringing at the word.

"Felix's hair turns the same shade of brown as the Titan's if it is plucked from his head."

"That doesn't mean he did all of that destruction." She shrugged, letting the strand of brown hair fall to the floor.

"You're right. It doesn't. But it does mean he is a suspect."

"His eyes are blue, nowhere near amber."

"His eyes change color, don't they?"

"They've never been amber before!"

"Just because they have never been doesn't mean that they never will." Things went silent, the atmosphere between us turning cold.

"May I speak with said suspect?" I asked through clenched teeth. Delilah had a somewhat pleased look on her face as she nodded curtly. I walked around her and knelt in front of Felix, grabbing his chin in between my thumb and forefinger and studying his face.

"Hey, Kat," he said tiredly.

"Why are you so tired? How long have they had you locked up in here?" I asked as I pressed the back of my hand against his forehead. "You're warm...why are you warm? Do you feel sick? How are you feeling?" He chuckled breathily.

"Stop worrying so much, Kat," he told me, smiling. "I'm not sick, I feel fine. Just a little sleepy is all. They chained me up a few minutes after dinner, so not long."

"_Why_ are you sleepy?" I pressed on. He glanced to Delilah for a moment before looking back at me.

"Tests," he said simply. I narrowed my eyes.

"What kinds of tests?" He shifted uncomfortably under my glare, averting his gaze to the floor.

"You know...certain kinds." My glare grew colder.

"Felix –"

"They tested my healing abilities, okay?!" he blurted out, lunging forward a bit. I winced.

"How so?"

"Cutting me up, how else?" Anger boiled deep within me, but I somehow managed to force it down.

"Who injured you?"

"The Corporal. Peter wanted to take part in the action, too, but she insisted she would make deeper wounds and wouldn't flinch whenever I screamed," he replied, eyes locked on mine.

"Did you scream?"

"Well, yeah! It hurt like a bitch!" I cringed. His gaze softened and he sighed. "Don't worry about me so much. I heal just as well as a normal Titan-shifter can. It just takes a few minutes longer than usual." Nodding, I brushed some hair in his face behind his ear.

"Felix...did you destroy those watch towers?" I asked quietly, trying to keep Delilah from hearing. He stared at me in disbelief.

"You think I –"

"No," I interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But just because I don't think you did it, doesn't mean you didn't do it. Answer me truthfully, Felix." He snorted, narrowing his eyes.

"No. I didn't knock those damned towers down and kill innumerable humans."

"Then who did?"

"Like hell I know!" he retorted icily, eyes turning red. I put my hands up as a sign of submission.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I murmured, putting my hands down as his irises slowly turned blue. I turned my head to look at the Corporal, seeing her gazing at me expectantly.

"Go on," she muttered, "tell him. That's the whole reason you wanted to speak with him in the first place, is it not?" I shook my head.

"The timing isn't appropriate," I told her.

"Tell me what?" Felix asked. Delilah looked to the ceiling in thought and shrugged, looking back to me and nodding in understanding.

"You're right." I nodded at her and turned back to Felix.

"Tell me what?!" I giggled, pressing a light kiss to his forehead.

"I'll be back in the morning. Goodnight, Felix," I whispered. Standing up, I ignored his cries of "tell me what" and turned around. I glanced at Delilah. She motioned with her head to the staircase leading out of the basement.

"Get to bed, Ayumi. It's late."

"Yes, sir." I obediently walked to said staircase and began to make my ascent.

_**Transition **Violet's POV_ _**(Necessary for later things, so it's gonna be sorta short. Deal with it.)**_

The sound of a door opening woke me up. I yawned silently, propping myself up on my elbows to glance at the bedroom door from my upper bunk. I saw a small girl with short dirty blonde hair exit the room as quiet as a mouse. Jackie. What could that girl be getting into at this ungodly hour?

I climbed down the ladder and walked to the door, peeking out and seeing Jackie knock three times on a door three doors down from us. It opened and Nina's head popped out, her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared down at Jackie. I opened my door a bit more so I could hear them better.

"It's about time you showed," Nina hissed.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to sneak past Violet? Katrina and Lily are pretty heavy sleepers, but any little noise I make and Violet tells me to shut up," Jackie defended herself.

"Then be quieter, obviously. Sometimes I wonder why we're even acquaintances in the first place."

"You know exactly why. It's because I'm useful."

"Yeah, right! You're just about as useful as a worm."

"Worms are actually pretty useful, Nina –"

"Do you think I care about worms right now?" I had to stifle a giggle at that. "With Luna, Scott, Edgar, Benjamin, and myself, I don't really need you."

"What's so important about Scott?"

"He's gullible, thus more useful than half of the human race. I tricked him into thinking that I actually loved him and now he's basically my servant, doing whatever I tell him to whenever I tell him more than he used to."

"That's terrible."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm quite a terrible person." Jackie pursed her lips in frustration. "The only use I have for you is a spy, and you're doing a pretty shitty job at that simple task."

"You think it's easy not getting caught spying on all of Katrina's Titan experiments?!" Jackie growled, clenching her fists. "Delilah has the eyes and ears of a hawk! One snap of a twig, one fallen leaf, one trip, and I'm done for!" Nina rolled her eyes.

"If you want, you can just drop the act entirely and I can get Luna to do it."

"No...I want to prove to you that I'm worth more than you think I am."

"Yeah? Well good fucking luck with that. 'Cause so far, you're not impressing me one bit."

"I didn't come here to be insulted by you, I came to give you info." Nina pulled her head back into her room for a moment. After that moment, Jackie entered the bedroom and the door shut behind her. I pulled my head back into the room and closed the door, eyes wide. What did I just witness?

I turned my head to Katrina's bunk on top of Lily's and sighed, wondering if I should tell her or not. _I'll decide in the morning,_ I thought, walking back to my bunk. As I settled in for the night, the fact that Jackie is only doing this spy thing is for Nina to like her came to mind. _Why does she need a snake like that to like her?_ I wondered, turning to my side and facing the wall. _Katrina likes her, Lily likes her, Felix likes her, I..._ I stopped myself. Do I like Jackie? I never trusted her since day one, anyway. But since she's only doing it for appreciation...that changed everything. _I guess I like that little blondie,_ I sighed in my thoughts, pulling a blanket over my shoulders. _Just a little._

**#Katrilah. I'm sorry, I had to. This chapter was pretty intense...dayum. Who knew I had it in me? I did ^^. Questions, praise, flames, and suggestions are gladly welcomed in the reviews, so please do not hold back! I love and appreciate every single person who had been following and reading my story so far, and even if you hate this story's guts, I still love you. If you think I need a lesbian or gay couple in my story then let me know, because I'm considering it. Goodnight, lovelies!**


	13. Chapter 12

**REVIEWS: Guest (Thank you!).**

_Felix's POV_

"Wake up, Titan boy!" Delilah's voice echoed in my ears. I groaned, shifting from my original position on the floor to a comfier one. I heard the tapping of boots against stone coming my way but ignored it. Suddenly said boot make contact with my face, kicking me back to the wall. I grunted in surprise, bringing a hand to my face. My nose was bleeding a river. "I said, get up," the Corporal growled, glaring down at me with her hands on her hips. _Technically, you said 'wake up',_ I grumbled in my mind.

"What time is it?" I asked tiredly.

"Five sharp."

"I'm supposed to wake up forty-five minutes from now!"

"You're supposed to wake up whenever I tell you to wake up," she retorted. I rolled my eyes, leaning my head back against the stone wall. "The more you disobey or show disrespect just shows how likely it is that you are the traitor, Felix."

"I'm not! I've never even transformed before!" Delilah shot me a death glare and grabbed a fist full of my hair, pulling me up as much as the shackles would allow. I hissed in pain, keeping my daring gaze locked on hers as my eyes once again felt as if they were doused with water. "Sir –" She let go of me and I fell back onto my knees with a grunt.

"I hope your healing abilities keep you from starving, because you're not getting any food until your sister brings you leftovers from breakfast...if she even bothers to." And with that, she turned around and walked to the stairs. I sighed, tugging at my shackles a bit. This was going to be a long forty-five minutes.

_**Transition **Katrina'sPOV_

"Hey, Katrina, where's Felix?" Jackie asked me at breakfast. I saw Violet glare at her for a second before looking away. I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to tell people about what happened or not, so I went the safe route.

"I'm not sure, we haven't talked in a while." I felt Lily's stare burning a hole through my head, but I ignored it. I glanced at my plate and noticed I only ate about half of what was given. "I'll...be right back," I said, getting up and taking my plate and fork with me.

"Where are you going?" Violet asked, glancing at me.

"Somewhere."

"Where is somewhere?"

"Someplace."

"Katrina!"

"Alright, alright," I sighed, pushing some hair behind my ear. "I'm going to meet the Corporal somewhere –"

"Where is somewhere?!"

"In the basement! Geez," I told her. She nodded, turning away. "I'll see you guys during training." They waved at me as I walked to the doors of the mess hall.

Eventually I found myself in the basement and saw Felix picking at his shackles with a small blade. He looked up at me and gasped, throwing the knife to his right. "I wasn't trying to pick the lock with a knife! What knife?" he said hurriedly, putting his hands up in submission. I giggled, walking to him and setting the plate and fork down in front of him.

"You don't have to hide the fact that you're trying to escape, Felix. It's not like I'm going to tell on you," I told him as he eyed the plate like a starving animal. "Go ahead, buddy, eat my leftovers." He didn't need to be told twice. In a heartbeat he was shoving bread and scraping whatever was left on the platter into his mouth with a fork. "Wow, why are you so starving?" I asked, studying his behavior.

"Delilah lockedf me up befur I finished dinner last night, sfo I fidn't eat mur than what fyou just gafe me right now," he replied, mouth full. I pouted.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." He swallowed and stared at me irritatedly.

"Don't tell me not to talk with my mouth full," Felix retorted, sticking out his bottom lip. I smiled, ruffling up his hair.

"You look and sound like a little kid."

"I was chained to a stone wall when I was little?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"You know what I mean!" We laughed together. I glanced at his hands and then at the blade he threw a moment ago. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. "Felix, if you want to get out so badly, why don't you just cut off your hands?" I asked.

"What?!" he gasped, eyes practically popping out of his head.

"You regenerate, silly, so why not?" He turned his head to look at the knife on the floor.

"But...wouldn't Delilah –"

"Be very angered by your behavior and probably have you executed, tortured, or worse because of your treason?" a voice sounded from the staircase. I whipped my head around to see the Corporal leaning against the wall, arms crossed, staring right back at me with dull eyes. "Yes, yes she would."

"What's worse than execution or torture?" Felix asked shakily. She smirked.

"You won't get to find out until you receive it."

"Stop scaring him!" I growled, keeping my glare locked with hers. She narrowed her eyes, pushing herself from the wall and walking towards me.

"Dammit, Kat! Now she's mad at us!" Felix muttered. Delilah grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, slamming my front against the wall once I was up. I yelped as she held my wrist in between my shoulder blades.

"You do realize, Katrina, that even though this parasite is your kin, giving him ideas for escape or even communicating with him in private is considered treason," she deadpanned. I huffed in response, glaring at her from the corner of my eye. She let go of me and stepped back. I sighed of relief, turning around to face her. Before I could say anything she motioned with her head to the staircase. "Get out of here."

"No," I said simply. She stepped up to me and grabbed my chin with two fingers, forcing me to look up at her.

"Leave, child."

"I want to prove to you that Felix isn't the traitor," I told her through clenched teeth. The tiniest of smirks etched its way onto her face.

"How will you do that?"

"We should take him out to the same place I first unleashed my Titan form and have him do the same thing." We glared at each other for a moment, the world coming to a standstill. She let go of my face, taking a step back.

"Fine," she sighed, crossing her arms. "After lunch I'll –"

"_We'll_," I corrected, earning myself a death glare from the Captain.

"We'll," she continued, "take him outside and test his Titan form. But if he happens to be the same Titan or look anything like it, he will be killed by yours truly. But until then I want you to stay away from Felix, understand?" I nodded curtly, knowing better than to question my orders especially after what just happened. I shared one last look with Felix before walking past Delilah to the staircase.

_**Transition (After lunch) **Felix's POV_

"Are these really necessary?" I asked, glancing at my handcuffs as we made our way to where ever it was that we were going.

"You're lucky I didn't make you wear the ones for your ankles," the Corporal muttered. The rest of the walk was silent except for the rustling leaves. "Alright, bite your thumb," she told me, turning around and facing me.

"What about the bracelet?" I asked quietly.

"No need. Just injure yourself already." I nodded, glancing at my right hand. I took a deep breath and raised it to my mouth. I bit it, then blacked out.

I opened my eyes and groaned, about to rub my head before I realized what was going on. Was I...inside of a Titan?! This...is...awesome! From inside my Titan I could see the outside. How tall was I? Everything was little.

"Felix!" I heard to my left. I turned my head and saw Delilah from the corner of my eye on my shoulder.

_Yes, sir?_ I asked in my head. Suddenly her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. I raised an eyebrow. _What's up with her?_ She held a hand up as a sign to stop._ Stop what?_

"Felix Ayumi!" she all but yelled. "Stop talking for just a minute!" Talking? What in hell's name is that supposed to mean? I'm not talking...am I? I watched her rub her temples and sigh, aggravated. "You don't realize what you're doing, do you?" she suddenly asked.

_No...?_

"You're talking, Felix! You, in your Titan form, are talking!"

_What?! Seriously? This is so cool!_

"I suppose. It does mean that you aren't the traitor. Alright, let me cut you out of there." She leapt from my shoulder and out of my vision. I felt a pinch on the back of my neck and blacked out once more.

_**Transition (Yes, I made a talking Titan. I ran out of ideas, okay? Deal with my crap.)** Katrina's POV_

I watched as Captain Delilah pried my brother's unconscious body from his Titan and dropped to the ground, landing perfectly. She walked over to me and laid Felix down. His handcuffs were missing. I looked at my superior. "Can I name him?"

"What?" she asked, glancing at me.

"You know...his Titan. Can I name it?"

"Um...sure?" I stared at Felix's face.

"His Titan will be known as the Vocal Titan. 'Cause he can talk." Delilah smiled.

"Good point." She looked away for a minute. "I'm still suspicious of Felix, you know."

"Huh? But...he proved that he wasn't the traitor! He looked nothing like how you described the other Titan. Felix had skin, dirty blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes!"

"He can change his eye color, his hair color changes, and maybe – just maybe – he can switch between skinned or skinless in Titan form," she explained with a sigh. "But that's just me. I'm never one to trust too quickly."

"I understand, Corporal." Suddenly Felix sat up, gasping for air and coughing. I looked into his eyes and saw that the irises were black. _Well, that's new,_ I thought. They immediately turned blue once his coughing fit was over. He looked to me.

"Was I really talking?" he asked, eyes shimmering in wonder. I smiled, ruffling up his hair.

"Definitely. In fact, I even took it upon myself to name your Titan."

"Oh, no."

"Shut up! You'll like it!"

"Alright, alright. Tell me."

"Your Felix-Titan thingy is now known as the Vocal Titan."

"Wow, for once you chose a suitable title." Our chat was rudely interrupted by Delilah clearing her throat. We looked over to her.

"We should get going," she said, getting to her feet.

"She's right, there are important matters to attend," I told Felix. He raised an eyebrow. "I'll explain later."

In no time we were back at the castle. Violet and Lily began running towards us, stopping in their tracks when they saw the Corporal. I waved to them. Lily eyed me as Violet waved her left arm frantically. "Alright, you two, get to training," Delilah sighed, continuing to walk to the castle.

"Yes, sir," Felix and I said simultaneously. Suddenly I was being hugged by a squealing Violet.

"Training was _so_ boring without you, Kitty Kat!" she cried dramatically. "Oh...and you too, Felixbear."

"Felix...bear?" he asked.

"If your sister's a cat then you're a bear."

"It's nice to have you back, Felix," Lily said quietly, offering him a small smile. Violet let me out of her death grip and I turned to the siblings. Lily glanced at me, her eyes meeting mine for a brief second. I shook my head. She stepped away from Felix then and turned around, heading back to the training grounds.

"What's wrong with Lily?" Felix asked. I shrugged.

_**Transition (Before dinner)**_

I was heading to my bedroom when I felt a hand on my upper arm. I turned around to see Felix. "Oh, hey, Felix," I greeted, turning around to face him.

"Hi, Kat. Lily told me to catch you because you had something to tell me?" he asked. _Uh oh...I wish Lily could tell him,_ I sighed in my mind. Suddenly a blonde emerged from the staircase a couple feet from us and stopped, eyes locked with mine. I motioned with my head for her to get over here. She sighed, walking towards us. She grabbed Felix's wrist and dragged him in the direction of our room. I followed close behind. She opened the door and I gave him a little push to get inside. "Er...I'm not supposed to be in the female dorms, I don't think..." Felix said shakily.

"Oh, come on, Felix! I'm your sister," I reassured him. "Sit down." I pointed to Lily's bunk. He did as he was told and looked at me cautiously. "How are we going to do this?" I whispered to Lily, who was right beside me.

"You break the news bluntly and then I explain the details; sound good?" she told me.

"Yeah." We turned to Felix.

"What's going on?" he asked. I sighed, sitting next to him and taking hold of his hand.

"Felix," I began, clearing my throat, "I am going to tell you something and you need to be one hundred percent calm, okay?" He nodded slowly. "Okay..." I took a deep breath, gazing into his sapphire eyes. "Felix, you're...kind of...sort of...maybe...adopted," I said, the last word coming out as a barely audible whisper. He stared at me, expressionless. His eyes, ever so slowly, turned brown.

"What...?" he choked out. I glanced at my lap, not wanting to look into his eyes. "Why is Lily here?" he asked hesitantly. I looked at her. She motioned with her head to get out of the spot I was in. I did, and she sat next to Felix. I watched as she brushed his bangs from his face.

"...Aaron," she murmured, staring into his eyes. "I'm your sister." They stared at each other for a moment. "Aaro –"

"I remember," he said quietly. "Barely..." He glanced away for a moment before looking back to her with a small smile. She smiled back, letting a breath of relieved laughter escape her lips before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Felix. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her shoulder. _This is adorable,_ I thought, smiling.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it," I told them awkwardly, turning and walking to the door.

"Wait, Katrina," I heard Lily say. I turned to see her walk towards me and wrap her arms around my neck. It startled me a bit. Lily wasn't much of a touchy person. "Thank you," she whispered, pulling back with her hands on my shoulders. "You have no idea how much I owe you." I chuckled.

"You don't owe me anything. As long as my Felix...or your Aaron...is happy, then I'm happy." She smiled warmly at me and nodded, turning around and walking back to Felix. I opened the door and exited the room, shutting it closed behind me.

_**Transition (everyone's asleep) **Violet's POV_

A soft knocking on the bedroom door woke me from my peaceful sleep. I groaned, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. The doorknob was turned and it was pushed open a few centimeters, a quiet creak resulting. I raised an eyebrow, pushing my blanket off of my legs and climbing down the ladder.

I slowly walked to the door and placed my hand on the knob, peeking out from the opening. There was nothing but an empty hall. I opened the door completely and stepped out, looking around. I took another step and suddenly there was a knife at my throat and a hand covering my mouth. I froze, trying to look out of the corner of my eye to see my attacker. It was no use, he or she was too far behind me.

"I'm sorry, Violet," a deep voice whispered in my ear. I couldn't tell if it was masculine or feminine; it sort of sounded like a girl trying to imitate a boy's voice. "I wanted to be your friend, I really did. But you've seen too much, and we can't have you running your mouth to everyone about it...now can we?" We? Who was this and who was this person talking about?! "The funny part about this situation," the mystery human began, "is that no one would have a clue about who murdered you. All fingers would point to one person, though, and it is my job to make sure exactly that happens. Good night, Violet Satoshi." The knife was pushed into my neck and I whimpered as the pain shot down my spine. Suddenly blood was filling my airway and I gagged, pulling away from the person and falling to the floor. As I was choking and wheezing, I slowly turned to look at him or her and saw a flash of dirty blonde hair and ice blue eyes before I blacked out.

**This chapter is so short and I want to have Heichou kick my ass for it but I would only enjoy that so ugh. Yay for Lily and Felix/Aaron/Vocal Titan for that sibling moment they had. I need a name for Katrina's Titan. It looks like the love child of the Female Titan and the Rogue Titan...the Rogue Female Titan. Boom. There it is. I am a genius. No seriously, help me name her. See y'all next time, toodles!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Review: Guest (You flatter me ouo). So sorry for the long wait, but my writer's block is on its period apparently and is keeping me from satisfying your hunger for my story. Fyi I decided that if no one wants to help me name Katrina's Titan then she will go unnamed which SUCKS because even unimportant Titans like the Smiling Titan, Sonny, and Bean got names but my precious little brunette doesn't get one :(. They need to make a Cyrus Titan. I would die of laughter if they did. My last words would be "I CALLED THAT SHIT!". Okay enough with my stupidity, let's get on with what you people are really here for, shall we?**

_**Katrina's POV**_

My eyes slowly opened as a familiar scent flooded my nostrils. I sat up in my bunk and rubbed my eyes, looking at the door. It was open. I glanced to Violet and Jackie's bunk and saw Violet was missing. Could she have left early and forgotten to close the door...? I scooted to the ladder and climbed down, the scent becoming stronger as my feet inched closer and closer to the cold floor. The door was about a quarter open, so I could see something black surrounded by blood laying on the ground. My eyes widened as I speed-walked to the door and pulled it open, screaming to the top of my lungs when I saw it. Violet's dead body laying on the floor, a knife lodged into her throat. That knife looked quite familiar, as if I had seen it just the day before...

"Katrina! What's wrong?" I was awoken from my thoughts by Lily, who was behind me in mere seconds after my scream. I kept my stare locked on my dead best friend. Lily looked down and gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh my God..." she mumbled.

I heard doors opening and shutting, more screams of terror and disbelief, more voices trying to pull me from my trance. I ignored it all, focusing on the bloody corpse at my feet. Where had I seen that knife before? Suddenly it hit me. Felix had used that exact knife when trying to pick the lock on his shackles yesterday. Could Felix have...no, that's impossible.

"What's all the damned noise about?!" the Corporal's voice followed by quick footsteps silenced the chatter. I regained my consciousness and turned my head to look at the staircase at the end of the hall. She casually walked down the last few steps and turned look at the commotion. She took a glance at Violet and gasped, running towards her. She knelt beside her and studied her features. She sighed, looking up and scowling. "Those who either don't know Violet or have no information about her murder, go back into your rooms and get ready for breakfast. Everyone else may stay," she said. The hallway cleared out in two minutes. The only ones left were Jackie, Lily, Nina, Luna, Felix, Delilah, and I. I glared at Nina.

"Why are you and Luna still here?" I asked. Luna narrowed her eyes at me while Nina's expression remained blank.

"We have info," she stated simply, turning back to Violet's body.

"Spit it out, Star," Delilah commanded, slowly pulling the blade from the corpse's throat.

"All I saw was that the killer had blonde hair and blue eyes. Couldn't tell if it was male or female. It's more likely for the person to be male, though," she explained, crossing her arms. I gulped. Felix had blonde hair and blue eyes. Delilah examined the knife, running a thumb over the wooden handle. Her eyes narrowed and her gaze lifted to Felix, who was standing about a meter away from her, leaning against a wall. He raised an eyebrow. She stood and threw the knife in his direction. It nearly gouged his eye out, but instead found itself stuck in a crack in the stone wall next to Felix's head. He gasped, taking a step away from it.

"Recognize the knife, Ayumi?" the Captain asked. He glanced at it and raised his eyebrows.

"How'd it –"

"Get lodged inside of a girl's throat?" Lily giggled at that. I punched her shoulder. Real mature, Lily. "Why don't you tell me that."

"I didn't kill her!" Felix insisted, clenching his fists. Delilah walked up to him, and I expected him to run. He didn't. He stood his ground, daring the Corporal to come another step closer with his stare. They were an inch apart, their intense stare-down unbroken. His gaze flickered to the floor and then immediately back to her eyes.

"Liar," she growled. "You averted your gaze."

"Who says I can't be nervous about something else?"

"I do." She turned to us, looking Lily and Jackie up and down. "Blondes," she said, "follow me." I patted my remaining friends on the shoulders before they left with Felix and the Captain. I turned to see a pleased grin on Nina's face.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked.

"I don't smile, you twit," she spat. "I smirk. And to answer your previous question, oh wait, I'm not telling you." I rolled my eyes. "Come, Luna," Nina ordered, turning and heading to her room. The pale girl turned her head in Nina's direction.

"I'll be there in a second," she told her. Nina snorted and entered her room, slamming the door shut. Luna looked at me. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"I guess I should get dressed, too."

"Wait, Katrina," she said, taking a step forward. "I offer a proposal."

"Propose."

"Since it would be lonesome and socially unacceptable for you to sit by yourself at your usual table for meals, would you like to sit with Nina and me?" she asked. I blinked, taking a moment to think. Nina doesn't like me, I don't like Nina, and things would be awkward between Benjamin and me. Either I was possessed, completely out of it, or just desperate to find new friends until Lily and Jackie are set free from whatever Delilah is doing with them, but what I said next surprised me.

"Okay, I guess," came out of my mouth. Did my brain even bother thinking about what words would spew out of my mouth at that moment? Luna gave a half-hearted smile.

"Nina isn't a terrible person," she told me. "I've noticed you two doing your best to ignore and one-up each other. She isn't the best at trusting or being trusted, so she resorts to making enemies instead of allies...er, friends. She is actually sort of shy, believe it or not. Don't tell her I told you this, though. She'd skin me alive." I cocked an eyebrow. _Nina_ skin _Luna_ alive? Sure, Nina was ill-tempered and dangerous, but compared to Luna she was a daisy.

"...Okay." She nodded, turning around and walking to her bedroom shared with Nina and God-knows-who-else. What did I just get myself into?

_**Transition**_

"...ina's coming," I heard Nina snap at the snickering boys across the table when I was a couple feet away. They immediately shut up, a sly smirk still gracing Scott's features. I sat on Nina's left side, across from said copper-haired idiot.

"Hello, stranger," he said, resting an elbow on the table. With what I began to do, I thought I was surely possessed.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" I asked playfully. I was fucking playing along. Am I sick or something? I'm probably just going insane. Yeah, that's it.

"I don't believe you have. But I can't blame you for stalking me."

"If anything, _you're_ the one stalking _me_. How else would you know my middle name was stranger?"

"Wait...seriously?"

"No, you idiot." A silent moment passed before we both started cracking up uncontrollably. Nina interrupted our moment by clearing her throat, gazing at us curiously. I wiped a tear from my eye and shut up, a lively grin still on my face.

"So, Katrina," I heard Edgar say. He was sitting in front of Luna, on Benjamin's left side. "What brings you here, to our table?"

"My other friends got in trouble," I told him.

"Oh, so we're second choice? I'm hurt, Kat. I'm hurt," Scott sighed dramatically, holding a hand over his heart. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"What'd they do?" Benjamin asked.

"Accused of murdering Violet." He choked on his food at my answer.

"Cough it up, man," Scott said, slapping his back. Once Benjamin could breathe again he gave a weird stare to Nina, who narrowed her eyes in response.

"Do you think any of them did it?" he asked, turning his attention back to me.

"I have this weird feeling that my brother did it," I confessed, picking at whatever crap I was served on a plate with a fork, "because she was stabbed in the throat; and I recognized the knife as the same one he used to try to pick his shackles the other day when he was still chained to a wall in the basement."

"You're intelligent," Scott told me, crossing his arms, "so your theory is most likely correct."

"Look at you, using big words," Nina teased him, earning a glare.

"But I don't want to be correct!" I snapped.

"Now, now, kitten, don't get your tail in a twist," Nina told me with a smirk.

"Fuck off," I spat, sticking my tongue out at her.

"Look at you, making new friends," Scott said to Nina with a shit-eating grin. She gathered some mush from her plate onto her fork and flung it in his direction, hitting him on the cheek below his left eye. The whole table began to laugh. "Hah hah, very funny," he chuckled, wiping it off with a napkin.

"I betcha I can get some in his mouth," I told Nina, a challenging glimmer in my green eyes. She narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly.

"Do it."

"What's the prize?"

"I'll hate you less."

"Acceptable." I grabbed my fork and piled some tasteless mush on it. "Open your mouth," I ordered Scott. He obeyed. I flung the much in his direction and it landed square on his tongue. "Yes!" I cheered.

"Dammit," Nina muttered.

_**Transition**_

"Katrina!" I heard my name as I was talking with Nina about fighting techniques. I turned around, expecting to be hugged to death, but then I remembered that Violet was dead. Instead I saw Lily and Jackie jogging toward me. Jackie gave Nina a glare and I heard Nina snort.

"I'll see you, Trina. I don't want to breath the same air as _Jackie_," she said, saying Jackie's name with disgust.

"Bye." I gave a short wave as she walked away.

"What were you doing with that snake?" Jackie hissed.

"Well, when you guys and Felix were God-knows-where I ate breakfast with them and Nina and I sort of...clicked," I explained hesitantly, scratching the back of my neck afterward.

"Katrina haven't you learned your lesson about Nina?!" she scolded. "She uses people, she doesn't give a damn about anything but herself!"

"She hasn't given me a rough time in, like, a year or something! I'm a very forgiving person, unlike you, so I'm giving Nina a second chance."

"Forgiving and oblivious are two different things," she muttered.

"If you don't like it, Jackie, then that's your problem, not mine."

"Okay, how about everybody calms down?" Lily suggested, putting a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "Jackie, Katrina has the right to hang out with anyone she wants. Katrina, Jackie's only trying to look out for you. Okay? Everyone happy?" Jackie and I stared at each other for a moment before sighing.

"Yeah," we said simultaneously.

"Good."

"Where's Felix?" I asked immediately. My friends went silent. "Guys...where's my brother?" Lily played with her sleeve nervously.

"Delilah's keeping him in the basement, again, until she speaks with the Commander about what he supposedly did. Once that happens, they'll put him in a cell, wherever that is, until they figure out what to do with him." My eyes widened.

"The-they're going to kill him..." I murmured, bringing a hand up to cover my mouth.

"We can still try to prove he didn't do it," Lily told me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Delilah will never believe us," I growled, eyes watering. "If Felix didn't do it, then who did?" She sighed, brushing some stray hair from her face.

"I don't know."

_**Transition **Felix's POV_

I sighed, not being able to fall asleep. I was curled up on the cold floor of the basement, trying my best to stay warm. "Fuck," I cursed, slamming my fist against the stone. How did that knife even find itself anywhere near Violet, anyway? I've been framed. Whoever killed Violet probably knew I'd end up in here. It had to be an ally of Nina's, since she probably lied about what she saw.

Suddenly I heard footsteps. They were far away, but somewhat loud. I sat up and pressed the side of my head against the wall. The footsteps were louder. I slammed my shackled wrists against the stone wall and heard a snap. I looked to see they had broken. Wow, cheap metal. I didn't even expect that to work.

I got to my feet and ran to the staircase leading to the door. I tried to twist the doorknob. Locked. Dammit. I jogged back downstairs and scanned the room, looking for a knife or something. I saw one of the Corporal's bobby pins on the desk next to some files. Bingo. I hastily grabbed it and ran back up the stairs. I picked the lock within a matter of seconds and threw it open, not giving a second thought about how loud I might have been. What was making me escape like this, I had no idea. All I know is that I had to be outside right this instant.

I ran as fast as I could to the nearest exit. Everything I passed was a blur. I finally found myself outside, the cold breeze ruffling up my hair and sending a chill up my spine. I looked up and saw a large silhouette running towards the castle at full speed. Titan. I narrowed my eyes, bringing my hand to my mouth. As I bit down, a surge of adrenaline hit me before I blacked out.

I opened my eyes to see a skinless Titan with brown hair running in my direction. I assumed that it was near invisible to humans, but not other Titans. I snorted, clenching my fists and taking a step forward. The Titan's pace didn't waver. _Fine, be that way,_ I hissed quietly. I charged to the Titan as fast as I could and the distance between us decreased immediately.

I pulled my arm back to try to punch it, but it stood still and grabbed my fist in its hand. I did the same with my other arm, but he outsmarted that one, too. His grip tightened around my fists, crushing my fingers. A growl bubbled in my throat as I used all of my strength to push him away. The force made him to fall onto his back, causing the ground to shake.

I took a step forward, placing a foot on its chest. As I was about to put all of my weight on said foot, the Titan's eyes brightened and its color vanished. It was a silhouette again. It grabbed my ankle and pulled, making me lose balance and tip backwards. It instantly got out from under me and disappeared behind me. I felt a fist make contact with the skin in between my shoulder blades and I was propelled forwards. I landed awkwardly on a couple of trees. As I was pushing myself up, the Titan pinned me back down. I felt his breath on the back of my neck and snorted.

Suddenly there was a pinch on my nape and my eyes widened. I roared and used all of my strength to roll over, trapping him under me. I slammed my elbow into his face multiple times, keeping his arms at bay with my free hand and mouth. I crushed his wrist in my jaws and he screeched. I ripped his hand clean off his arm and stood up, spitting it out.

I turned to see he was completely visible again and standing, glaring at me with hatred. He pulled his arm back to throw a punch but I kicked his knee. A sickening snap was heard as I apparently cracked it. He fell forward, still propped up by his elbows. I slammed its head into the ground with my foot and bent over, grabbing his nape with my teeth. I yanked and threw the flesh God-knows-where. I looked down and saw a person buried within the nape. I all of a sudden blacked out.

I woke up, half of me sticking out of my Titan's steaming body. I heard a groan and saw someone pulling themselves from the other Titan I had just fought. I narrowed my eyes and yanked my arms from the confines of the sticky flesh. "Hey!" I barked, my eyes getting that feeling again. The person turned around, revealing Scott. I gasped, "Scott?!" He gritted his teeth, running a hand through his hair as he began walking toward me. I grew fearful and struggled with my Titan to free myself faster. Of course it doesn't work, it just makes it harder. Dammit, how does this shit work? Suddenly Scott had yanked me out my the collar of my shirt and threw me onto the ground. I grunted on impact, glaring at him as he circled me. He stopped, grabbing something from his back pocket.

"The hell are you trying to do, Felix?" he asked, opening a metal box.

"I should be asking you the same thing," I growled as I watched him stick a cigarette in between his lips. He snickered, stuffing the box back into his pocket.

"I asked first."

"I was trying to stop you from whatever you were doing. Now answer my damned question, will ya?" I spat. He lit his smoke and nibbled on the tip, looking away as if in thought.

"I dunno. You'll probably go tell on me to that fine broad of yours."

"Katrina?"

"Duh." I seethed.

"Don't talk about my damned sister like that," I hissed, standing up. He held his hands up in submission, smirking.

"Alright, tough guy. I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms.

"Just tell me what you were up to before I whooped your Titan ass."

"Oh, nothing much. Just destroy a few buildings here and there, maybe crush the stables and or warehouses. Real basic stuff," he explained, taking a drag. My eye twitched.

"Why?"

"Oh, for fun! What do you think, dumbass?" he snorted. I was about to say something, but he interrupted me, "I doubt you even understand the huge hint I'm dropping here. Hell, you don't even know who killed Violet, do you?"

"You did it...didn't you?!" I snapped, stepping forward.

"If I had done it, it would've been a lot messier," he retorted, doing the same. Things went silent for a minute. "Look, what happened tonight stays between us, got it?"

"You don't seriously expect me to keep my mouth shut about this, do you? Killer or not, I'm telling the Captain that you killed Violet so I can get out of my death sentence. _And_ everything that went down tonight," I told him, turning around and walking in the direction of the castle. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him.

"Tell anyone and you'll end up like Violet," he threatened, narrowing his eyes. I plucked his hand from my shoulder.

"I'll take that chance." I turned around once more, walking a bit faster this time. I didn't hear his footsteps behind me, so I assumed he gave up on trying to dissuade me from telling people about what happened.

"I'll kill them!" he yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks. "Both of them! Your sisters!" My eyes narrowed and I whipped my head around, glaring daggers at Scott.

"Lily's not my –"

"Don't even try it, runt!" he snarled. "Thanks to certain sources, I know everything about Katrina. But to know everything about Katrina, I need to know everything about you, too. So I know all about your other life, _Aaron_." I clenched my fists, body stiffening. "I'll get you out of the basement or wherever they've locked you up, just...keep your trap shut. Understand? I've got connections."

"You mean Nina has connections," I corrected under my breath. I sighed, turning my head forward. "Fine, Scott. I won't tell a soul. I expect to be off Delilah's shit list by tomorrow." And with that, I continued my trek to the castle.

_**Transition (That was intense o3o).** Katrina's POV_

I shuddered, rubbing my hands together to try and warm myself up. It didn't work. I was standing outside, the breeze freezing my fingers off, because I knew Felix would be out here.

I had woken up a while earlier due to a couple of loud noises. I immediately went to check on Felix because my sister senses were tingling, and found the basement door open with a bobby pin jammed into the keyhole. I figured that my brother had broken his shackles somehow and picked the lock to escape. The first thing I checked was all of the doors to the outside, and luckily the third one I looked at was wide open.

And that's how I ended up here, waiting for my brother to magically appear and tell me what happened, hopefully before I die of hypothermia. It would have been smart of me to bring a jacket or something._ Stupid, _I growled in my head. Suddenly I saw a head of dirty blonde hair in the distance and a smile spread across my face. I ran in his direction, ignoring the protests of my tired bones and freezing body. Once I reached him I tackled him to the ground, hugging him. He gasped at impact and giggled as he hugged me back.

"Where the hell were you?" I asked, voice slightly muffled by his shirt. "You had me worried sick."

"I thought I heard something outside, but it was just Scott working late at the stables. We talked for a bit and then I left," he explained. I lifted my head, propping myself up on my elbows on his chest.

"But the stables are that way," I told him, pointing to my left. He blinked a couple times, an awkward silence falling between us. His gaze flickered from my face to somewhere on his left. "Felix...are you –"

"We should get to bed," he interrupted, smiling innocently. I sighed, shrugging. I assumed he was just tired and barely knew his left from his right so I dropped the topic.

"Alright." I rolled off of him and got to my feet, helping him up afterward. As we were walking a gust of air blasted me in the face and I shuddered, teeth chattering. Felix wrapped his arm around my shoulders in an attempt to help keep me warm. I rested my head on his shoulder to increase the heat as we inched closer and closer to the castle.

**SO CUTE! -screams-. So yeah...Scott destroyed the watch towers and got his ass beat by wittle Felixbear o3o. If you have any questions don't be shy to PM me or leave it in the reviews. Same with suggestions, praise, or flames. But if you flame, Slenderman will come to your room and watch you sleep. Just so ya know :D. Love you all!**


	15. Chapter 14

**No reviews? I see how it is.**

_Delilah's POV_

I yawned, rolling over in my bed and glancing at the clock on my wall. Ten before five. Rubbing my eyes, I forced myself out of the warmth and stretched. After I got dressed I decided to check on Felix and make sure he was still miserable.

When I reached the door I stopped, staring at the doorknob. The door was wide open, and in the keyhole was one of my bobby pins. I gritted my teeth, running down the stairs and glaring at the wall where the suspect was _supposed_ to be. All I saw was broken shackles. I clenched my fists to the point where my fingernails dug painfully into my skin. I turned around and stomped up the stairs, knowing exactly where to find the runaway.

I threw open the door to Katrina's room and of course Felix was sleeping in her bunk while she slept in Violet's. "Felix Ayumi!" I barked. He sat up immediately, accidentally slamming his head on the ceiling.

"Fuck!" he spat, rubbing his head. He stared at me in fear as the girls were awakening, as well, from my outburst. I immediately turned to Katrina and glared at her with anger.

"Are you an imbecile?!" I asked her, stepping into the room. She gulped.

"It's not how it looks –"

"Blah, blah, blah. Don't start with that bullshit! Obviously you wanted to get your little brother out of that cold room and keep him warm in here. I get that. But I am obligated to suspect the worst, so I am assuming you were helping him escape and just giving him a warm bed to sleep in for the night before he jumped out of the window and run for it or whatever. So you are both in deep shit now." I sighed, rubbing my forehead irritatedly. "My office," I simply said before turning around and exiting the room.

_Time Gap_

I was seated at my desk, staring at the siblings across from me. They were fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats and doing their best to avoid my glare. I cleared my throat, leaning back in my chair and letting my gaze soften a bit. They looked at me hesitantly, Katrina looking more guilty than her brother.

"First of all," I began with a sigh, "you two wouldn't be here, at my mercy, if it weren't for the fact that I do not completely despise your existence, Katrina." Her face brightened. "So I will let you explain yourselves, but don't expect me to be this generous next time." I nodded to the girl.

"Last night I heard a loud noise," she told me before clearing her throat. "It woke me up. I decided to check on Felix because I felt the same feeling I get whenever he's in trouble. So that's what I did, and I found that he wasn't in the basement. I knew he had escaped, so the first thing that I did was check all of the doors leading outside. The third one I looked at was open, so I assumed Felix went out that way. I walked outside and waited for him to return. When I did see him, I ran to him and asked where he was. He told me he went to the stables and we left it at that. When we were back inside the castle I didn't want him to sleep in that cold dark basement so I decided to be a good big sister and let him sleep in my bunk while I slept in Violet's." I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Why would you wait if you knew perfectly well that he most likely wouldn't return?" I asked slowly, as if talking to a toddler.

"My gut told me to. My gut's a lot smarter than my conscience." I shrugged, understanding.

"Didn't it bother you that you had to sleep in your dead best friend's bed?"

"Of course it did, but I tried not to think about it too much."

"Alright, then. Felix, your turn." As he opened his mouth to speak, a knock was heard on my door. I abruptly turned my head in the direction of the noise.

"I'm busy!" I yelled, making sure to use my extra-frustrated voice.

"It's very important, Corporal. It's about Violet," Nina's voice came from the other side. I groaned, crossing my arms.

"Wait there, then," I told her. I turned back to Felix. "Continue."

"When I was about to go to sleep I heard footsteps, really loud ones, coming from outside. Something told me to get up and check out the scene, so that's what I did. I slammed my shackles against the wall and they broke, which is very disappointing...do the Survey Corps not have enough money in the budget for decent shackles? And I ran to the door. It was locked, so I used one of your bobby pins I found on a desk to pick the lock. As soon as that was over I ran outside and..." he stopped, scratching the back of his head. I narrowed my eyes into slits.

"Cough it up, Ayumi. I don't have all day," I hissed. He sighed.

"When I was outside I saw that the noise was all my imagination. But I did run into Scott at the stables –"

"What were you doing at the stables?" I interrupted.

"I was taking a walk since I wasn't too tired." I nodded, allowing him to go on with his story. "So Scott and I talked for a bit. I soon got tired after that and decided to go back to the basement. I saw Katrina waiting for me at the castle, and she saw me, as well. You know the rest." I leaned forward, folding my hands on the desk.

"Why did you hesitate when you were telling me you ran outside?" I asked Felix, lowering my voice.

"That part slipped my memory for a second."

"How could it have done that? It happened only a few hours ago."

"I'm still tired, since it's barely four-thirty, and I hit my head against the ceiling." Something told me he was lying. I could feel it. But I decided to let it go, for whatever reason, and straightened my posture.

"Fine. You're still going back in that basement and as for you," I turned my head to the brunette, "you are going to receive some punishment after breakfast." She pouted. Nina knocked on my door again.

"Sir? May I come in now?" I rolled my eyes.

"Katrina, handcuff your brother, ankles, too, and get back to your room," I ordered.

"Yessir," she mumbled, rising from her seat with her brother and exiting the room. As they left Nina walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"What do you want, Star?" I sighed.

"Do you recall when I told you about what I saw when Violet was murdered?" she asked.

"How could I forget?"

"Well, I'm afraid I gave you false information." My eyes widened and I stared at her in shock.

"Are you telling me you framed Felix Ayumi?" I growled.

"It would seem so, but no. I was just confused, is all."

"Explain yourself."

"That night I had a nightmare about a murderer who had blonde hair and blue eyes. I awoke from it and decided to walk to the mess hall to grab a glass of water. When I opened the door, I saw Violet standing outside of her bedroom holding a knife. I didn't know what she was planning to do with the weapon so I decided to watch her before I went to the mess hall. She stabbed herself in the throat and, shortly after, fell onto the ground a bled out. I was so shocked by it that I scurried back into my room, forgetting my previous task and going back to bed." I blinked, processing the new information.

"Why would she commit suicide in such a public place?"

"Maybe she wanted to be found." I nodded slowly, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

"Your explanation doesn't add up," I said. "Violet was a cheerful young woman who almost never let negativity get to her. Why would she kill herself?"

"Everyone has their demons. Some are just better at hiding them than others," Nina told me, eyes jaded.

"The knife she used was identical to the one Felix tried to pick his shackles with a while ago. How come?"

"Aren't all knives here identical?" I thought for a moment, realizing she was right.

"Alright. Thank you, Nina. Felix owes you his life."

"His life wouldn't have been at stake if it weren't for me, so he owes me nothing." I smiled.

"You're a good kid. Now get out of here."

"Yes, sir." She turned and left my office, letting the door softly shut behind her.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

After I had handcuffed Felix's wrists and ankles we sat in the basement, just talking. Everything was nice and peaceful until we heard footsteps going down the staircase.

"Shit, I'm supposed to be in my room!" I whispered hurriedly.

"Hide!" Felix told me. I looked around quickly.

"Where?!" I snapped.

"I see you're still here," the Corporal's voice sounded from the stairs. I hesitantly looked in her direction and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry, Corporal, I just wanted to talk with my brother –"

"Let him go." I stared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Unlock the handcuffs. Do I need to spell it out for you?" she groaned.

"But...I thought that he was a criminal?"

"Your friend Nina told me that she was mistaken when telling me what she witnessed when Violet was killed. Violet committed suicide, she wasn't murdered." I gasped, covering my hand with my mouth.

"B-but that doesn't –"

"It doesn't add up, right?" she interrupted. "Just because someone appears happy doesn't mean they really are. She might have been hiding her emotions for years on end, and finally decided she was sick of it." I looked at the ground. "Since no one's really at fault here but herself, Felix is free to go. You're dismissed from your punishment, as well, Katrina." My eyes brightened.

"Thank you, sir!" I squealed. She simply rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile but failing.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, turning and walking up the steps. I looked to Felix and he had the same excited grin as I had.

"Who or what do you wanna fuck with first?" he asked quietly, eyes shining. I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Take off the handcuffs so I can hug you back, Kat."

"Right!" I got to my feet and searched around for the key. I found it hanging on the wall next to a bigger key I assumed was for the broken shackles. I unlocked Felix's handcuffs, both sets, and he got up. After helping me to my feet he ran to the staircase, leaving me standing there. "Hey! What about my hug?" I whined, chasing after him.

"Screw that, I'm finally free!"

_**Transition**_ **_(Last night, around midnight) _**_Nina's POV_

I sighed, comfortably laying in my bottom bunk. I was on the verge of falling asleep, barely hanging onto consciousness. Until I felt a breath on the back of my neck. My eyes shot open and I propelled myself from my bed, tackling whoever was behind me to the floor. The person grunted and hooked his leg around mine, making me lose my balance and falling beside him. I looked up to see mischievous light brown eyes.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said nonchalantly. I rolled my eyes, pushing Scott off of me.

"The hell do you want, shit-for-brains?" I asked grumpily.

"Well that wasn't very nice." He pouted. I climbed back into bed and stared at him.

"Wanna tell me why you're here or do you wanna leave with a boot up your ass?"

"I like the first option."

"Then spit it out."

"I need you to do me a favor," he told me, sitting cross-legged on the floor. I narrowed my eyes, telling him to continue. "I ran into Felix while I was...doing the deed...and we sort of fought and he sort of won..."

"Felix?!" I gasped. He nodded slowly. "Felix Ayumi beat _you_?! That's literally impossible. He's a scrawny idiot who doesn't know anything besides whatever bullshit his sister tells him. How could he beat you, a buff idiot who doesn't know anything besides whatever bullshit _I_ tell you?"

"I dunno," he sighed. "His Titan is a lot stronger than his human form." I snorted. "Anyway, he told me he would tell Delilah about what happened and that I killed Violet. Unless I got him out of the basement."

"How are you gonna do that?"

"That's where you come in," he continued. "I need you to tell Delilah that you were mistaken when you previously told her about what you witnessed when Violet was killed. Make up believable crap, tell her, and Felix and I will both benefit."

"Won't that get me in trouble?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You're Nina Star. You never get in trouble no matter what you do."

"Good point."

"So...will you do me this favor? Please?" He put on his puppy dog eyes. I sighed, smiling.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell Delilah Felix is innocent or whatever. But you owe me." He grinned.

"I have an idea –"

"Whatever perverted shit you're thinking about right now better leave your head in three seconds because that was not what I meant," I growled. He pouted again.

"Aw, you're no fun."

_**Transition (Present time; sleeping hours)**_

I was sitting on the floor adjacent from Luna, playing a game I forgot the name of. "Okay...knife," I said.

"Blood, death, humans, Titans, consumption, food, forks, knives," she replied. I rolled my eyes.

"You always make yours quick."

"It's not like I want to. My mind is just more complex than yours." There was a knock on the door and then it was being pushed open. We saw Scott standing in the doorway, a grin plastered on his face.

"Ladies," he greeted.

"When you knock, you wait for us to give you permission to enter. You don't just knock and then open the door," I snapped.

"What if we had been changing our clothes?" Luna added. His grin widened.

"Well that's why I came after hours, so I could avoid the awkwardness."

"Why are you here?" I asked with a sigh. He shrugged, his expression turning neutral.

"I just wanted to thank you for doing that favor," he told me, looking at me in the eye.

"Why wouldn't I have done it?"

"You're slippery. You do what you want and don't give two damns about the consequences or about anyone else."

"Good point. But you're special," I said, throwing on an innocent face.

He smiled, nodding at us. "Well, I'll leave you girls to whatever Satanic ritual you're preforming."

"We're playing a game," Luna groaned.

"Oh, what game?"

"I tell Luna a word and she says whatever comes to her mind. Once that word is said, she says the next word that comes to her mind. That cycle continues until the next word out of her mouth is the word I originally told her. Then we switch turns and so on," I explained.

"Sounds fun, but I got guy stuff to do with Edgar and Ben."

"Sounds fun, too," I sighed.

"You can join us if you want," Scott offered suggestively.

"Thanks but I'll pass," I retorted, snickering.

"Still no fun, I see." He exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

"Nine-hundred-ninety-eight, nine-hundred-ninety-nine, one thousand," I panted, raking a brush against a black stallion's coat tiredly. My right arm was numb and my legs felt like jelly for standing so long. "There, Captain," I groaned, dropping the brush and leaning against the horse, "one thousand strokes for whats-his-name."

"Dusk," she said, patting the animal's nose. It snorted contently. Delilah faced me, eyes narrowed. "Have you learned your lesson for vandalizing my property, Katrina?"

"Yes, sir, I'll never decorate your horse's mane ever again."

"It's a stallion, why in the world would he want bows in his mane?"

"Maybe he's gay."

"Animals do not practice homosexuality."

"Or do they?"

"Humph, smart-ass. Just get out of here," she sighed with a smirk.

"You know you love me!" I told her, smiling. She slapped my shoulder playfully.

"Leave, runt."

"Yes, sir." I began walking to the castle, staring at the sky. The stars were so pretty this late. What time was it, anyway? I think it was around ten or eleven. I doubt anyone is awake. Suddenly there was an arm slung around my shoulders and I gasped, turning to see who was beside me. It was just Nina, so I let out a breath of relief. "Nina! You scared the crap out of me," I told her, giggling.

"Sorry, Trina," she said. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"What?" With her other hand, she grabbed my right wrist and held it in front of my face.

"What's that?" She was talking about my scar. We stopped walking. I glanced at her to see a smirk on her face and a mischievous gleam in her hazel eyes.

"...A scar..."

"What from?"

"Felix..."

"Lies."

"How –"

"If Felix has a Titan form then I'm sure you do, too," she explained, cutting me off. My eyes widened.

"How do you know?" I spat, ripping my wrist from her grip. She took a step back, sensing my distrust and anger.

"Remember when your little Felix went missing from the basement?" she asked. I nodded, eyes narrowing. "Whatever he told you he was doing was a lie. What he really did was turn into a Titan and run from this place."

"Why did he come back then?!"

"Guilt. It ate away at him like a parasite, so he returned and lied to his big sister so he could stay out of trouble."

"How...why do you know this?"

"I know everything, silly. Just like I know you have no control over your Titan form."

"It was one time..."

"Who says the next time will be different?"

"I'm not dangerous!"

"Anyone with this ability is dangerous," she growled. Things went quiet, the atmosphere growing heavy. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean for this to go so...crappy."

"It's okay," I said quietly. "You were just curious and I shouldn't have lied to you at first."

"Friends?"

"Friends."

As we continued walking to the castle, I shot a split-second glance at Nina's face. The glare from the moon on her eyes stung mine, and I blinked a few times. How did that happen? I realized something and whipped my head around to stare at her face. Under the moonlight, her eyes were red and her pupils were a slit...like a cat's. She turned to me, her eyes returning to their natural state.

"What?"

"Um...nothing."

**Wow this took longer than necessary. Questions, praise, or recommendations are always welcomed in the reviews! Flames are not tolerated and you will turn into a lime when you die if you flame me or anyone else for that matter. Love most of you so stay awesome bros, I know you will! Brofist! -kisses fist and punches the screen-**


	16. Chapter 15

**REVIEW! :D Laweren (Awesome ^-^). Happy late Halloween! And happy Dia de los Muertos! People are gonna die soon.**

_Katrina's POV {about a week or so later}_

Katrina opened her eyes to see herself sitting at her old dinner table in her old home. Her mom was sitting across from her, reading a book, while an eight-year-old Robin chased a three-year-old Felix and a ten-year-old Calem around with a cricket in his small hand.

"Eat it! It's healthy, Mom said so!" Robin was practically yelling. Katrina looked down at her lap to see her tiny pale hands. Said hands went up to her face and felt around. Baby fat. She then tugged at her braided hair. It was short.

"Katrina, honey, why are you messing with your pretty braid?" her mother asked sweetly, putting her book down. "Do you dislike it?" Katrina quickly shook her head, finding it almost impossible to form a coherent sentence or even talk.

Suddenly her three brothers disappeared and all was quiet in the small room. Her mother then held out her hand toward her. In the palm of her hand was a golden pendant with a long golden chain. Katrina hesitantly took it and ran her stubby fingers over it. She flipped it over and saw on the back was an inscription that read _Ayumi_. She looked at her mother questioningly. "Every woman in the Ayumi family has worn that," she said.

"How come I've never seen you wear it?" Katrina asked, her squeaky voice sounding foreign to her. Ignoring her question, her mother continued speaking.

"Never lose that pendant, Katrina. The chain doesn't matter, but the stone is not replaceable. It can get you places." She wondered what her mother meant. Suddenly Yuka stood, glaring at her. "She doesn't smile, she smirks. She doesn't laugh, she sneers. She doesn't cry...she's never cried once in her life," she began saying.

"Who?"

"She doesn't feel happiness, she feels victory. She doesn't need, she wants. She doesn't love, she uses. She doesn't fight, she kills. She doesn't lose...she's never lost anything important in her life. She doesn't lie, she manipulates. She isn't bad, she's evil," her mother finished, hanging her head.

"Who are you talking about?!" Katrina asked.

"Wake up, Katrina," her mother said softly. "Wake up. Wake up."

"_Wake up!_" a voice rang through my ear. I woke up, startled, and rolled over and off of my bed. I groaned, throwing an arm over my face.

"Wake me in the morning," I mumbled.

"It is morning, little miss sunshine." I moved my arm and took a glance at who was talking to me, since I was still a bit groggy and unable to process too much. It was Lily. "You were moving around in your sleep and I got worried. Were you having a nightmare?" she asked as I crawled back into bed.

"Not really," I told her, barely even able to remember whether I actually had a dream or not. Lily didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject.

"Well, okay. You should hurry and get changed, you know. In ten minutes we'll be expected to be at breakfast."

"Yeah, I know." I got out of bed and stretched.

After I got dressed Lily, Jackie, and I walked to the mess hall in silence. As we sat at our table I noticed that Felix was already there. He looked at me as I sat down and smiled.

"Hey, Kat," he greeted. Before I could say something he held out a book. My journal. "Corporal wanted me to give this to you. She told me she was done with it." I took it hastily, opening it to a random page to make sure it was real.

"Geez, it's about time she finished this. Thanks Felix!" I said, eyes bright. He nodded, and I could have sworn his cheeks were lightly dusted pink. I ignored it, though, and flipped through the pages of my journal. As I looked at the very last page something fell onto my lap. I glanced down and saw a golden pendant connected to a long golden chain. My eyes widened as I remembered my dream. I looked at the page it fell out of and saw that the same words my mother had told me in my dream were scribbled on it. _She doesn't smile, she smirks. She doesn't laugh, she sneers. She doesn't cry...she's never cried once in her life. __She doesn't feel happiness, she feels victory. She doesn't need, she wants._ _She doesn't love, she uses. She doesn't fight, she kills. She doesn't lose...she's never lost anything important in her life. She doesn't lie, she manipulates._ _She isn't bad, she's evil._

_**Transition**_

I knocked on the Captain's door, planning on asking her if she was the one who wrote and put a necklace in my book.

"Who is it?" I heard from the other side of the door.

"Katrina," I replied, noting that Delilah sounded calmer than usual.

"Enter." I did so, shutting the door once I was inside her quarters. I saw that she was working on paperwork. The handwriting in my journal was different than hers. I thought about it, and realized the handwriting was the same as my mother's...so she must have written it.

The Captain turned her head to face me with a questioning glare in her eye. "Do you need something?" she asked.

"Um, I was wondering if you had put this necklace inside my journal before you gave it to Felix to give it back to me?" I told her slowly, grabbing the pendant from my front pocket and holding it out to show her. She took it and ran her thumb over the smooth gold. Shaking her head, Delilah handed it back to me.

"Never seen that thing in my life. It's quite beautiful, though."

"Yeah," I agreed, glancing at it. "Well, I'll get out of your hair." As I was turning around I heard Captain clear her throat. I looked to her. "Yes?"

"In a few weeks, there is going to be an expedition consisting of four squads, excluding mine. I have already assigned three, so if you do the math, you can see I need one more," she said. I nodded hesitantly. "I am offering you full command of your own squad, made up of soldiers of your choice. On the last expedition the Scouting Legion went on, you preformed outstandingly with eighteen kills. That's the most I've seen a rookie do. I also noticed you bossing a few people around. Said people are still alive today. So you've shown to have leadership and fighting skills, thus worthy of a squad." I was frozen with shock. I could barely believe what was coming out of the Corporal's mouth.

"A-are you sure...sir?" I asked.

"Did I stutter?" It sounded more like a statement than a question. A wide smile spread onto my face and I tightened my grip on my journal.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squealed. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not buying you an absurdly priced dress with matching heels, I'm giving you a responsibility, but your welcome. Tell me your choice of soldiers by tomorrow."

_**Transition**_

"Guess what!" I all but yelled as I tackled Felix from behind. We landed on the ground with a small _thump_, followed by a groan from Felix.

"You're heavy, get off," he mumbled.

"Rude."

"What did you want to tell me?"

"Corporal gave me a squad!" He propped himself up on his elbows and turned his head to look at me through the corner of his eye.

"You're kidding."

"I'm not!"

"That's amazing, Kat!" he told me. "Have you decided who's gonna be in it?"

"Almost. I know you, Lily, and Jackie are going to be in Squad Ayumi -"

"Best squad name ever."

"I know right? Anyway, I still need at least one more person, but I can't think of anyone else."

"What about Nina? Aren't you two best buds now?" he asked.

"Good idea. I'll go ask her right now," I said, rolling off of my brother. I stood and helped him up, watching as he stretched and cracked his back. "I'm not that heavy." I pouted. He chuckled awkwardly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"I know, I'm just messing with you," he teased.

_Time Gap_

I saw Nina speaking with Luna under a tree near the training grounds. I smiled, making my way toward them. "Hey, Nina. Hey, Luna," I greeted. Nina turned and smiled at me, while Luna just stared at me through the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Trina! I was just about to go get you," the brunette said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Really? What for?" I asked.

"To tell you some big news."

"Tell me!"

"The Captain offered me my own squad...and of course I said yes!" Well, damn. "It gets better," Nina continued, causing me to internally cringe. "I'm going on an expedition with four other squads in a couple of weeks!"

"Oh, yay!" I said, forcing fake excitement. Luna snorted, sensing my artificial enthusiasm, I guess. "I also...got a squad." Nina stared at me in surprise and...something else I couldn't identify. Her eyes became jaded, but her happy face remained the same.

"That's awesome! Are you coming on the expedition?"

"Yeah. Who's on your squad?"

"Luna, Ben, Scott, and Edgar...duh. What about you?"

"Felix, Jackie, and Lily, duh," Luna retorted, smirking at Nina. She stuck her tongue out at the pale girl and turned back to me.

"You need one more person, you know."

"I know, but I don't want to add some old veteran."

"Why not? She or he could teach you and the rest of your squad a thing or two." The way she said it told me she was calling me an amateur, but I ignored it.

"I suppose you're right..."

"I always am," Nina chirped.

_**Transition**_

I knocked on the Corporal's door and heard a faint "Enter." I walked inside and shut the door, walking to Delilah and standing in front of her desk. "What?" she asked, focused on her paperwork.

"I've decided who I wanted on my squad," I said, folding my hands behind my back. She looked up, eyebrows raised.

"I'm surprised you made up your mind so quick," she commented, grabbing another piece of paper. "Who will be assigned to Squad Ayumi?"

"Felix Ayumi," I began, my "brother's" name leaving a sour taste in my mouth, "Lily Hart, Jackie Finch, and Emily Hawke." She paused at the last name I listed. After a moment she shook her head, as if to shake the thought from her mind, and continued writing.

Emily Hawke is a ten-year veteran who I've gotten to know little by little ever since I arrived here. I saw her fight in the last expedition and noticed she is almost as good as Delilah.

"Is that all? You could add a few more if you like," she told me. I shook my head. She shrugged, folding the paper and placing it in one of the drawers.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, how long have you been in the Scouting Legion?" I asked, wondering if she was like Emily, young yet has been here for a long time. The Captain looked at me funny before taking a breath.

"About nine years. Lance Corporal for five." Interesting. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," came out of my mouth before I could think about my choice of words. She narrowed her eyes, but dismissed me with a flick of her hand. I left immediately, the awkwardness overpowering. I sighed once I was outside, running a hand through my long hair. Maybe I should cut it, since I'm not fond of ponytails or buns. And pigtails were out of the question.

"Hey, Katrina," I heard a pleasant female voice from my left. I turned, it was Emily. Her short brown hair bobbed with every step she took as she was approaching me. "What did you talk to Delilah about?"

"She gave me a squad earlier and I told her just now who I wanted in it," I explained. Emily gasped, her perfect blue eyes shimmering.

"Wow, Katrina! I'm so proud of you!" she praised. "Who's in it?"

"My brother, two of my friends, and you," I replied, smiling. She smiled back.

"Well, I'm glad to be on the team, Squad Leader-Katrina."

"Ew, don't call me that. It makes me sound old." She giggled.

"Are we going on the upcoming expedition?"

"Yes!"

"Ooh, exciting!"

"I know!" We squealed.

_**Transition (Next day)** Delilah's POV_

I snorted, swirling my wine around in a glass I was holding. I was standing in front of the window, watching a certain pair of women in the training grounds. Well...one was a woman. The other was a child. I stared as Katrina threw a kick incorrectly and fell over, only to be helped up by Emily. I rolled my eyes and took a drink of wine as they laughed. There was a knock on my door, but I ignored it. It came again.

"Delilah, I know you're in there," came Isaac's voice. I clutched my wine glass harder. I wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone right now. I heard the door creak open and cringed, eyes locked on a smiling Katrina. "Delilah? Are you alright?"

"Peachy," I retorted, taking a drink. He walked up to me and looked at my glass.

"Why are you drinking?"

"I'm not planning on getting shitfaced, so don't get your panties in a bunch." He chuckled at that, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. "It loosens up the nerves a bit. Helps you relax."

"What's stressing you out?" he asked, eyes locked on my face as I was busy watching the training grounds.

"The expedition," I lied blatantly. He _tsked_.

"If you're going to fib you might as well make it believable."

"Why bother? You can see straight through lies anyway." He followed my gaze and hummed.

"Emily and Katrina, eh?" he observed.

"Good to know you haven't lost your eyesight, old man," I muttered before downing the rest of my booze. I turned and walked from the window, toward my desk. I set the glass down and grabbed the wine bottle.

"What do you need that for?" Isaac asked.

"Stress."

"What's making you stressed? And don't say the expedition." I remained silent, my gaze resting on the two brunettes. "Are you...jealous of Emily?" My grip on the bottle tightened and my eyes narrowed into slits.

"No!" I barked. "Why would I be jealous of _her_?!"

"Maybe because she stole Katrina from you?" he inquired. I gritted my teeth, shutting my eyes tightly.

"How could she steal something that wasn't mine in the first place?" I whispered.

"What are you –" I cut him off by shoving the bottle into his chest. He cautiously grabbed it.

"I'm going for a walk," I hissed, glancing once more out the window before walking to the door. I stepped out into the hallway, slamming the door behind me.

Before I knew it I was outside, walking past the training grounds toward the stables. I turned my head an inch and saw that Hawke and Katrina weren't even training. They were just casually talking. I clenched my fists.

"Hey!" I snapped at them. They immediately turned their attention to me. "Get to work! The expedition's gonna be hell so you might as well prepare yourselves for it!" They did as told, but not before Hawke threw me a smug glance. I bit the inside of my cheek. She knew what she was doing...and she was doing it on _purpose_. I shook the thought from my mind. It was probably just my imagination.

I finally arrived at the stables and walked to my horse, scratching behind his ear once I got to him. Dusk whinnied and pressed his nose against mine. I smiled as his hot breath washed over my face. I pulled away and put his saddle and reins on him.

_Time Gap_

As Dusk trotted through the woods beside the castle I took in the scenery. I never noticed a handful of trees decorated by the sun's rays could be so...calming. I glanced down to look at Dusk's head and wondered what was going on inside of it. I rubbed his right ear. "You're lucky, boy," I purred. "You don't have any worries or problems. You're only concern is taking me places." He shook his mane. I started thinking back to how Katrina and Hawke are getting along and pursed my lips. "I'm not jealous of Hawke...right, boy? There's nothing to be jealous about. I'm stronger, prettier, and flat out better than her." Dusk remained silent. I rolled my eyes. "All of you men are the same...having a say once your problems are discussed but quiet when a woman complains," I muttered.

Suddenly Dusk stopped walking and perked his ears. He looked around, uneasily taking a step back. "What's the matter, Dusk?" I asked. I heard footsteps...loud ones. Dusk reared, throwing me off of his back. I gasped, grabbing his mane to try to hold on. He began to run back to the castle, dragging me along. I eventually let go, groaning as I pushed myself to my feet.

As I brushed myself off I turned around, only to hear a vicious growl. My body froze. I slowly looked up and saw two yellow eyes glaring down at me. I wanted to move, or scream, or...something. But I couldn't. It was a Titan, sixteen meters. It took a step forward, revealing an oddly shaped leg. It was like a canine's leg, but without fur and just colored black. The feet were paws, with meter long claws. The Titan growled again, this time louder. A giant hand, also adorned with meter long claws, came out of nowhere and slapped me away. I screamed before slamming into a tree and blacking out.

_Time Gap_

I opened my eyes to see trees and grass. Where am I? I sat up, rubbing my head. I realized I was in the woods near headquarters. I tried to move my left arm, but it was too difficult. I glanced at it, seeing a sickening sight that would have any other soldier losing their lunch. A bone was sticking out of my arm, and the puncture wound was oozing blood. I winced. I carefully removed my jacket and wrapped it around the wound, but not tight enough for it to hurt...too much. I pushed myself to my feet and began walking toward the castle.

When I arrived everyone was surrounding something. I raised an eyebrow and walked toward the mass of people. Katrina suddenly came running toward the crowd. "Get away from him!" she screamed, charging her way in the middle of the mob. I looked around and saw Hawke jogging to the attraction, as well.

"Hawke!" I called. She looked to me and I motioned for her to come. She did so. "What the hell is going on here?" I asked.

"A few minutes after you left the territory," she began, "a sixteen-meter ran from the woods and toward the castle. I was worried about you, since it came from where you were. Anyway, once it had appeared another sixteen-meter came out of nowhere. The two Titans fought for a short time before the first one scratched the nape of the other. The second Titan fell to the ground, steaming, and the other one ran away. Felix, Katrina's little brother, came out of the second Titan's nape. That's what people are surrounding...Felix's limp body. His Titan disintegrated before you got here." Hawke glanced at my arm and gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "What happened to you?!"

"That first Titan happened. It slapped me out of its path on its way to the castle and I was thrown into a tree. I passed out, and woke up with a broken arm just a few moments ago," I explained, noticing my jacket was completely drenched with blood. I felt lightheaded and shut my eyes, sighing. "I've...lost a lot of blood. Get me to the infirmary, would you? I'll ask more questions later."

"Yes, sir!" She wrapped my good arm around her shoulders and helped me to the castle's interior.

**That ending though. Questions are more than welcome in the reviews, but there is no promise that all of them will be answered. See you!**


	17. Chapter 16

_Katrina's POV_

I ran down a hall toward the infirmary, itching to see if Delilah was alright. As I slowed down I saw Emily emerge from the room. "Emily!" I called, walking to her. She turned and gave me a somber smile.

"Hey, Katrina," she sighed.

"Is Delilah alright?" I asked urgently. She chuckled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"The Captain is fine, Katrina. She's been through much worse than this. But it's best to leave her alone for now." I shrugged her hand off of my shoulder and glared at her.

"No way! I'm going in there to see what sort of condition she's in," I hissed, walking around her and extending an arm to the doorknob. She grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"What for?" she spat.

"To make sure she's okay! She also might want some answers for what happened earlier with Felix, anyway." I ripped my wrist from her grip and twisted the doorknob.

"Absolutely not! She is in critical condition and needs to be left alone!"

"Does it look like I give two fucks?!" I all but yelled at her. She gasped at my outburst. "I'm a _squad leader_! I'm above you! _You_ cannot tell _me_ what to do! Understand?" Emily narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. Without another word, she turned around and walked away. I snorted, entering the infirmary quietly. I shut the door behind me and saw the Corporal with her hair down and shirt off being treated by a nurse at the back. She looked over to me and smiled weakly.

**She's wearing a bra, calm down. (THIS DOES NOT COUNT AS A TRANSITION).**

"Hey, kid," she said, wincing as the nurse dabbed alcohol on her wound.

"Corporal!" I gasped, speed-walking over to her. I noticed a few long scars across her stomach and one or two on each of her arms. I glanced at her arm and shuddered. "What happened to your arm?"

"That dog-Titan threw me into a tree, no big deal," she replied.

"Captain, I'm going to set the bone, okay?" the nurse told Delilah.

"Just get it over with," she muttered. She placed the side of her thumb in her mouth and waited. As the nurse shifted her bone into a right place, causing a sickening _SNAP_, Delilah bit down on her thumb and whined softly. The nurse glanced at her and sighed, prying her hand from her mouth.

"Corporal, you're supposed to _refrain_ from injuring yourself," she sighed, looking over the bloodied finger.

"Easier said than done, Becca."

"Captain, I was wondering if you would like and explanation of what happened while you were gone earlier," I said as Becca bandaged her hand. Delilah looked at me and nodded.

"That would be appreciated."

"Well, a few minutes after you left the castle," I began, "everyone in the training grounds heard something odd. Most chose to ignore it, though. Then your horse was seen hastily running from the woods. A few people were able to calm him down, luckily, and he was taken to the stables. People began to worry, since Dusk arrived without you.

"Suddenly a Titan appeared from the forest. It had black skin, oddly-shaped legs, paws for feet, meter-long claws on paws and hands, black-furred wolf-like ears on top of head, black hair, yellow eyes, and two fangs poking out from his upper lip. I named it the Wolf Titan, just so you know.

"Once it arrived, it snarled as it eyed those in its line of sight. I saw Felix grab something from Lily and then bite his thumb, causing him to turn into a Titan. The Vocal Titan charged into the Wolf Titan and it stumbled back a meter or two. As Felix was about to punch it, the Wolf Titan grabbed his wrist in its jaws and ripped his hand clean off, throwing it who-knows-where. After that, it slashed open Felix's nape with its claws and then ran away. Then you saw people surround his limp body and me scream at said people." I took a breath after my long explanation. She nodded, looking away as the nurse strapped a rigid piece of wood to her arm.

"Corporal, please _try_ to not damage the splint," Becca fussed. "It could harm your arm more and we do have a limited supply of materials needed to make a splint." Delilah rolled her eyes, making a shooing motion with her good hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful," she told her. The nurse sighed and walked away. She turned to me. "So you're saying there's an animal-Titan running around? Most likely a shifter, since it knew the nape is the weak spot. But it has animalistic instincts, so who knows if it consumes humans or not?"

"If it's a shifter then the Wolf Titan shouldn't eat people. That's practically cannibalism."

"You're trying to figure out the Wolf Titan's mindset, and it's not working for you, so stop," she ordered.

"Yes, sir," I mumbled. Delilah hummed in thought before turning to me.

"Why are you here anyway?" she asked. I blinked, noting her stern tone and narrowed eyes.

"To tell you what had happened."

"Bullshit. Tell me the truth," she replied sharply. I pushed a few strands of hair behind my ear and looked down.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why?"

"Because you're the Captain..." Her narrowed eyes told me she didn't believe me. I sighed. "Because I care about you," I murmured. Delilah was silent.

"...Why?"

"Well...you're my friend," I told her, refusing to make eye contact. "And you're kind of like a big sister to me." She blinked, eyes wide.

"Big...sister?" she asked.

"Yeah...in a way," I said, forcing myself to look at her face. Suddenly she brought her right hand to her head and shut her eyes.

"Ah!" she cried, holding onto her head.

"Captain? What's wrong?" I gasped, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she clenched her teeth.

"Get your hands off of me!" she yelled. I took a step back in surprise, arm retreating. Her eyes were glazed over and, though she was looking in my direction, she didn't appear to be focusing on me. "What are you doing? Put that thing down! Emily, stop this at once!" Suddenly her eyes shut again and she fell back onto the bed. My blood ran cold when she mentioned Emily. Then again...it _could_ be another Emily. The nurse then arrived, staring at me worriedly.

"What happened?" she asked frantically. "I heard screaming and now Delilah appears unconscious."

"Well, I told her she's like a big sister to me, then she held her head and gasped in pain. Then I asked if she was alright and she started yelling at me," I explained. Becca let out a sigh of relief, brushing some black hair from her face.

"Phew! I was worried it was something serious."

"_This_ isn't serious?!"

"Well, it hasn't happened in a while, so I suppose it is serious..."

"This has happened before?" I asked.

"Yep, ever since 'The Incident.' But no one is supposed to speak of that," Becca trailed off.

"Can you tell me what 'The Incident' is? Please?" I begged. She sighed, rubbing her arm nervously.

"It's not my place to say..."

"Becca, please? I won't tell anyone else!"

"Alright, alright. About four years ago, a year after Delilah was named Lance Corporal, Emily Hawke found her in her office, unconscious with a gash in the back of her skull. There was a broken bottle beside Delilah's head when she was found, so that meant someone had done this to her. No one knew who it was, though, and the criminal is still unknown to this day. The day she woke up, she was...different. She was more serious and professional, unlike her usual goofy and unpredictable self. Ever since then she had been having fits like these, probably due to the scene involuntarily replaying in her head. But the last time this happened was last year, so it would be highly unlikely for it to happen again unless something triggered it."

"Perhaps it was when I said 'big sister?'"

"Perhaps. But I doubt it. Delilah's an only child, from what I've heard."

"Why do you think she said something about Emily?" I asked. Becca shrugged.

"No one knows. Emily says it's because she's the one who found her, but there's no guarantee that that's true." A moment of silence passed. "You should get going, honey," Becca said. "The Captain's out cold, and won't be expected to wake up any time soon."

"Okay, bye," I sighed, walking down the thick corridor toward the door. I exited and ran, having an idea where I could find Emily for some answers.

_**Transition**_

"Emily!" I called, seeing her chatting with Isaac outside. The two turned in my direction and smiled politely. When I stopped in front of them I saluted to the Commander.

"At ease," he said. I then turned to Emily, resting my arms.

"Emily, I need to speak with you privately," I told her seriously. Her eyebrow slowly rose.

"Um, okay. Sorry, Commander –"

"No apology necessary, Emily. Good day, Katrina." He then walked away.

"What did you want to talk about Katrina?" Emily asked sweetly. I narrowed my eyes.

"Tell me about 'The Incident,'" I commanded. Her face went pale and her eyes widened.

"Y-you know about that?" she stuttered.

"Yes, a nurse told me the story. But what I don't know is _your_ perspective, Emily. So please, tell me." She blinked and took a deep breath.

"Well, one day I needed to ask Delilah a question. So I went to her office and saw that her door was ajar. Curious, I pushed it all the way open and saw her laying motionless on the ground with a broken whiskey bottle beside her head. I called for help immediately, and that's that, I suppose."

"What was your question for her?" I inquired.

"That was four years ago, I don't remember," she replied quickly

"How do you know it was a whiskey bottle?"

"I know how to read labels, Katrina."

"But it was four years ago. Surely you would have forgotten the type of liquid the glass bottle was supposed to contain?" She went silent. My eyes narrowed into mere slits. Suddenly Emily frowned.

"Why are you interrogating me, anyway?" she spat. "Are you accusing me of purposely injuring the Corporal?!"

"Not purposely," I corrected. "It could have been an accident."

"Well, whatever you're accusing me of is wrong! I would never hurt my half –" she cut herself off. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Half what?"

"Half...nothing!" she said quickly. "I meant to say Captain. Just a slip of the tongue, ha-ha." I crossed my arms.

"Are you telling me the truth, Emily?" I asked.

"Of course I am," she answered. "Would I ever lie to you?" _Her tone of voice, her body language...they indicate that she's fibbing! _I thought. _But her personality tells otherwise. Why is this so confusing?_ I sighed, looking up to her and offering a small smile.

"Okay, Em, I believe you. Sorry for accusing you of hurting Delilah."

"No problem, kiddo!" she giggled. "You wouldn't believe how many accusations I've gotten concerning that, since I was the one who found her."

"Speaking of which," I began, but stopped myself. "You know what...never mind."

"Are you sure? You can talk to me about anything, you know."

"I'm positive. Thanks, Emily."

_**Transition **Delilah's POV_

I sighed as I was laying silently on a medical bed, staring at my splint with disgust. "I hate you, asshole," I growled quietly to the contraption. I heard the infirmary door open and close. I glanced to my left to see Isaac walking toward my bed. I face forward again, awaiting his arrival.

"Delilah," I heard him say. I looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"What? No 'hello?' No 'how is my favorite corporal doing?' Do you have a stick up your ass or did you finally get over me?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes.

"Tsk. I'm here for business matters."

"Boring. Why don't you bother me about this later?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Cadet Ayumi was a Titan-shifter?" he demanded. I went silent.

"...I thought I had mentioned it –"

"Well you didn't." I looked away, fiddling with a button on my shirt nervously. He shook his head. "This is very irresponsible, Delilah. It's almost difficult to comprehend that you would even think about not telling me about this."

"What was I supposed to tell you, huh?" I snapped suddenly. "'Oh, by the way, Commander, Felix Ayumi is part monster without any sense of emotion.'"

"Well something is better than nothing!"

"I've mentioned before that he was a suspicious character!"

"I thought your brain was just acting up again from 'The Incident!'"

"So what you're saying is –" I cut myself off. "Wait...what incident?" His eyes widened and turned away. I narrowed my eyes. "Isaac? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"But –"

"Just...never mind that, okay? If you don't want to be in trouble because of Felix, then don't ask me about 'The Incident.' Get well, Delilah," Isaac told me before walking away. I snorted. _That bastard, _I thought. I knew I'd get the information out of him eventually, but I didn't want to wait.

_**Transition**_ _Felix's POV_

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Lily scolded me. I groaned, pressing an ice pack against my head. "You put yourself at a big risk out there, Aaron! I can't fucking believe you would be stupid enough to transform in front of countless people!"

"It was either transform and show everyone what I am or let the Wolf Titan destroy buildings and lives! What would you have done?" I retorted.

"I would have used my ODM gear to get to its nape and slice the damn bastard open!"

"You weren't even wearing your gear when the Titan showed up."

"Well...imagine I was. The point is you could have gotten yourself killed!"

"How?! I've battled Titans before and won!"

"Getting your nape ripped apart doesn't look like fucking winning. If that _thing_ hadn't left after it had beaten you, it probably would have eaten you!"

"That '_thing_?' It was a Titan, Lily."

"Bullshit," she growled. "Did you see that thing? It had dog ears, pointy teeth, and claws! Fucking _claws_, Aaron! I've never heard of a _Titan_ with claws and dog ears!"

"Well if it wasn't a Titan, then what the hell was it?!" I challenged. There was a knock at the door. Lily and I looked at it at the same time.

"Er, come in!" she called. The door opened and Katrina stepped into the room. I relaxed and leaned against the headboard of the bed I was sitting in.

"I heard yelling," Katrina explained, shutting the door. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I was just telling Felix about how much of an idiot he is," Lily replied with a smile.

"Okay, next time a Titan comes charging to the castle, Lily, I'm not going to give a single fuck about it. Let's see how that shit turns out," I snorted.

"I think that was really brave, Felix," Katrina said. "It was a huge risk you took, but you took it anyway."

"He's still an idiot in my opinion," Lily sighed.

"Th-thanks, Kat," I stuttered, smiling shyly. What was wrong with me? She's my sister, I should be acting cool and relaxed. But instead I'm acting shy and giddy. She brushed off my strange behavior with a light giggle.

Lily raised an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes at her. Suddenly her eyes widened, and then a sly smirk etched its way onto her face. "Fuck you," I mouthed.

"Love you, too," she mouthed back.

"What are you guys doing?" Katrina asked. We glanced at her.

"Nothing," I said quickly. She noticed my ice pack and her expression became one of concern.

"What's wrong? Does your head hurt?" she asked. I shrugged, readjusting the ice pack.

"A little, I guess."

"What happened?"

"Kat, you _know_ what happened," Lily told her. "He fought a Titan and lost. Then his Titan evaporated and he landed on the ground."

"But a Titan form doesn't just disappear into a puff of smoke," Katrina argued. "It takes time, and when it evaporates slowly he should get closer and closer to the ground _slowly_. He wouldn't have time to hit his head on the ground because he would reach the ground slowly."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Stop lecturing me," Lily groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Then why is he hurt?!"

"It's okay, Kat, I'm not hurt that badly," I said. "When I woke up there was a little pain on the side of my head, which was probably caused by the transformation."

"But you've transformed before and you never got a headache." I gave up, then. This argument was fruitless.

"So, how's the Corporal doing?" Lily asked, changing the subject. Katrina sighed, looking to the ground.

"I don't know," she replied quietly. "Last time I saw her she was getting a splint. Then she, uh...passed out..." Lily and I gasped.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"I don't know! She has probably woken up by now but I just...don't know." Things went silent.

"I'm sure she's fine, Katrina," Lily assured her. "The pain of resetting the bone must have been too much for her. Or maybe she just has head trauma."

"Yeah..."

"She'll get better soon, I'm sure of it!"

"Yeah, okay..." Lily and I exchanged a glance.

"Oh my God, Kat!" Lily suddenly yelped, causing Katrina and I to flinch. "I forgot to ask you about something!"

"Oh, what?" she asked.

"Are you going to keep calling him –" she pointed to me, "– 'Felix?' Or are you going to start referring to him as 'Aaron?'"

"I don't know. I'm used to saying Felix, but I could start saying Aaron..."

"He wouldn't mind it either way."

"I'm right here, guys," I reminded them, only to be ignored.

"I'll think about it," Katrina said to Lily.

"It would be better if you do. If you start calling him his old name, then he'll start to remember French."

"Wait...what?!" I asked. Lily turned to me.

"Yeah...we used to speak French to each other."

"I don't speak French!"

"Bien sûr, vous le faites, idiote." _(Sure you do, idiot.)_

"Qui vous apellent un idiot?!" _(Who are you calling an idiot?!)_

"See? You do speak French!" Lily laughed, smiling.

"Vas te faire encule," I snorted as I rolled my eyes. _(Fuck you.)_

"Je t'aime, aussi!"_ (Love you, too!)_

"Guys...I'm still here," Katrina said, "and I don't speak French."

"Whoops, sorry, Kat," I told her nervously.

**Yaay, foreign languages! I got the translations off of Google translate, so if any of them are wrong please let me know! I made the Delilah thing obvious, didn't I? Dammit, every time! Sorry this took so long to make, but my brain is working slow and I don't have a lot of time on my hands. Adios! **


	18. Chapter 17

**Reviews: narbwhal (Your ship name is Finding the Fourth Narbwhal). Wow this story is almost over. I'm kind of sad to see this end ;-;. And I've also noticed that I kind of made Katrina a bit of a Mary-Sue. Dammit.**

_Delilah's POV (a week later)_

I sighed, picking at a bandage on my splint as I watched a couple of people packing up for the expedition. It had dawned upon me that I couldn't go because of my injury, so I'd have to stay behind. I leaned against the outside wall of the castle I was standing in front of and sighed again.

"Captain!" I heard from my left. A smile crawled onto my face as I turned to see Katrina walking toward me. She stopped in front of me. "How is your arm?" she asked softly.

"It's getting better," I replied.

"Well it's not going to heal any faster if you keep picking at those bandages, so I'd suggest you leave them alone." I rolled my eyes at that.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do what I damn please with this contraption." She was about to retort before a loud whistle was heard. I looked up to see the Commander standing next to his horse.

"If everyone is prepared for the expedition, I'd suggest we start moving!" he announced professionally. He gave me a glance before turning and getting on his horse.

"I guess I have to go now..." Katrina murmured, looking up at me.

"Stay safe, you hear me?" I growled at her. "Prove to me that you're worth my time and come back in one piece and _alive_." Her eyes widened as my words sunk in. She nodded, her expression turning serious as she saluted.

"You have my word, Corporal." Her words sent a sword into my heart. Every time I've heard those words, something bad would happen to the person who said them.

"Katrina, _come on!_" Felix's voice sounded from my left. The brunette turned and saw him, Lily, Jackie, and Hawke waiting for her.

"Goodbye, sir." She offered me a small wave before running away to join her squad. My lips pressed into a tight line as I watched the soldiers ride their horses away from sight. I bit my lip, fearful of what was to come from this expedition. _As long as she survives, everything will be __alright__,_ I told myself. _Even if Isaac __i__s killed...__it'll be __okay__._

_**Transition **Katrina's POV_

I shifted nervously on my horse, somewhat terrified of what was to come. Since the Corporal wasn't coming, Isaac decided to add three more squads, which I thought was a good decision because that meant there would be at least forty people. But I still feel as if something bad will happen without her.

**If you're confused about the math here then PM me or leave it in the reviews.**

"Kat?" Aaron asked, startling me. I turned my face a bit to the right to face him.

"What?" I snapped. He flinched.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine."

"Is it because Delilah -"

"I said I'm _fine_, Aaron," I hissed through clenched teeth. He went silent, big blue eyes staring at me with concern. I could feel another set of eyes watching the back of my head, but I ignored it.

"Do you think you'll need to use your Titan form in the expedition?" Lily asked Aaron from my left.

"I hope so! It'll be fun to bash a bunch of Titans' heads in!" he replied enthusiastically.

"Let's just hope the Wolf Titan doesn't rear its ugly head." Aaron stiffened, his bright eyes darkening.

"Right," he said quietly. I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow at his behavior.

"What?" I asked him. He turned to me.

"What."

"Why'd you get quiet all of a sudden?"

"Maybe I wanted to be quiet."

"Aaron, you're never fucking quiet." There was a pause, then I realized why he's acting up. "You're afraid of the Wolf Titan," I said slowly. He glared at me, eyes immediately turning red.

"What?! No I'm not! Where would you get that idea?" he snarled.

"When you first encountered it, it nearly killed you. That might have traumatized you, and thus giving you a fear of the Wolf Titan. Or you are just embarrassed that you couldn't defeat it, or that it beat you so quickly, and your brain is mistaking embarrassment for fear," I explained. He blinked, looking confused. I rolled my eyes. "Need some help?"

"No, no, I got it," he told me, turning away. I could tell he was thinking about it, so I left him alone and let my eyes wander elsewhere. I noticed we were already at the gate to get to Wall Rose and I started getting nervous again._What if we _do _see the Wolf Titan? Or even other deviants! Oh, that would be bad,_ I thought as the gate opened.

The Survey Corps rode through the gate in silence. Once the gate shut behind us, we began to gallop straight. "Once your assigned area is clear out, shoot a yellow flare! When all areas are clear we will push forward and head through Wall Maria! Squad Noir and Squad Trey, head west!" Isaac ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Two squads left the formation.

"Squad Soldat and Squad Raquel, head east!"

"Got it!"

"Squad Ayumi and Squad Star, go ahead and then split up!"

"'Kay!" Nina said, her squad picking up the pace and passing the formation quickly. I did the same, eventually finding myself riding next to her. She turned to me, a strange look in her eye.

"Good luck! You're gonna need it!" she told me before turning right, her squad following. I snorted before turning left.

"Lily, get that four-meter ahead!" I ordered. Without hesitance, she flew from her horse and in the direction of the Titan. She killed it almost effortlessly, and landed on a roof to wait for us. Suddenly an eight-meter came walking toward her and reached for her.

"Lily, watch out!" Emily cried.

"Aaron, Emily, kill that bastard!" They immediately shot off their horses and toward Lily.

"Katrina," Jackie said breathlessly, "why do you think Isaac sent us and Nina's squad by ourselves?"

"Maybe our squads are stronger than the others," I answered, watching as Aaron sliced the Titan's nape. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned, gasping and pulling at the reins of my horse to tell it to stop.

"Katrina? Katrina, what's wrong?" Jackie asked, shaking my shoulder. I paid her no mind as my gaze was locked on a ten-meter Titan with a sickening smile plastered across its face. It was the Titan that killed Calem. Tears formed in my eyes and I clenched my teeth, grabbing onto my swords.

"If I die, Emily's in charge," I said to her quietly.

"Wait...what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to avenge my damned brother." And with that, I leapt from my horse and shot my wires toward the nearest tower. The Titan just stood there, taunting me with its off-color eyes and yellow teeth. A burning anger grew in my stomach as I got closer and closer to it. I yelled, my hooks burying themselves in his face, and swung around to get to his neck. As I was about to offer the finishing blow, he reached behind himself and grabbed me by _my hair_. It brought me to the front of its face and stared at me with its dead eyes. I relaxed my body and sighed, realizing this was my fate. As the Titan lifted me a bit higher I felt an arm around my waist and heard a cut. I gasped, looking to the left to see Aaron...saving me. Out of fear, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face into his shoulder. I peered over his shoulder to see Jackie killing the Titan and felt unaccomplished. If I couldn't avenge my own brother, was I really worth it?

I felt Aaron land and he put me down, turning to see how everyone else was holding up. I fell on my knees and knelt there, staring at the wooden roof in shame. I heard him kneel and felt his eyes on me. "Kat, what's wrong?" he asked softly. I furrowed my eyebrows and refused to look at him.

"I was supposed to avenge Calem," I mumbled. "But I couldn't. I could have died back there if it weren't for you. I'm useless. This squad deserves a better leader." I felt his hand on my cheek and looked at him, his crystal blue eyes looking into my soul.

"Calem doesn't need to be avenged, Kat," he told me. "Knowing you're alive and safe is all he needs to be happy up there. And just because you couldn't kill one Titan doesn't make you useless. It may have outsmarted you, but it wasn't your fault you didn't know it was somewhat intelligent. Plus, your hair looks great." My eyes widened and my hands went to the back of my head. My hair barely reached the tops of my shoulders.

"What the fuck did you do to my hair."

"Hey, it was either cut your hair or let you die and I'm not going to allow that any time soon." I smiled. As he was about to say something else, Lily and Emily landed out of nowhere next to us.

"Kat, are you okay?!" Lily asked, pulling me to my feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I told her as I was pulled into a tight hug.

"If you're going to go after a ten-meter then use some common sense and take someone with you, dammit!" she scolded.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Lily," I laughed, prying myself from her grasp.

"I'm glad you're okay, Katrina," Emily said. "That was a close call back there! We're lucky that Aaron followed you when you went after that Titan." I raised an eyebrow, glancing at him curiously.

"You...followed me?" I asked. "You didn't believe I could kill it on my own...?"

"It wasn't that! It was because it was a huge fucker and I wanted to make sure you would be okay," he replied.

"Don't worry about me so much."

"If I worried less, you'd be dead." Things went silent.

"So, Lily!" Emily said nervously, trying to shake off the awkward silence. "Where did Jackie run off to?"

"She said she saw a five-meter and went to kill it," she answered.

"And you let her go alone?" I asked angrily.

"Hey, it's just five meters! What could go wrong?"

"A horde of Titans could hear or smell her, that's what!" I snapped. "It's sweet of you to check up on me, and I really appreciate it, but it would have been better to follow your comrade!" I turned and walked away from them. "I'm going to look for her."

"What?!" Aaron gasped, standing up loudly. "No way! Let Lily or Em do it! You're still in shock from what happened!" I turned to face him, narrowing my eyes.

"Do I _look_ like I'm still in shock? Besides, she's apart of my squad, thus my responsibility. Her death is on my shoulders, not yours." And with that, I jumped off of the roof and swung forward.

As I flew through the air, I looked left and right for Jackie. No sign of her. _Oh, God, I hope she's not dead,_ I thought. I glanced at a tower and saw someone standing on the top. I made my way to the tower and landed behind the person. It was Jackie. She turned around to face me, surprise written all over her face. She was holding a loaded flare gun. "Jackie! I was looking all over for you! Did you kill that five-meter?" I said.

"Um, yeah, I did," she replied hesitantly. "Why did you search for me?"

"Why wouldn't I? The squad can't afford to lose anyone."

"Oh, right..."

"Why didn't you go back after you killed the Titan?" I asked. She flinched, as if she wished I hadn't asked that.

"...I was chased away by a pack of them after I killed the five-meter," she answered slowly. "I'm just...glad to see you okay, Katrina." She looked at me with a smile. I frowned. Her smile was fake. Her eyes were practically begging me to leave. I took a step forward and crossed my arms.

"Why are you really here, Jackie?" I asked quietly. The smile left her face almost instantly.

"Because I –" she began, only to be interrupted by a loud bang. We turned to see a yellow flare in the east. Another bang was heard toward the west, and we didn't need to look to know it was another flare. I looked at Jackie once more.

"You were saying?"

"I came here because I thought I could help by looking out for other Titans to kill...so it'd be less of a bother for the squad," she told me. I don't know why, but I accepted that answer.

"Well don't do that. It's a waste of time and manpower. Now come on, everyone's waiting for you." We made our way back to where I left my squad and they were still there. Lily and Emily were sitting down, chatting, while Aaron was standing as a lookout. When he saw me, his eyes sparkled and a smile spread across his face. Jackie and I landed on the roof quietly. "Did you see any Titans while I was gone?" I asked.

"Yeah, a few," Emily answered, standing. "But we got 'em all."

"Good. We should get back on the horses and roam around until I think the area's clear," I suggested.

"Wow, Kat, you're acting all professional and whatnot," Lily commented. I sighed, turning and sitting on the ledge of the roof. I slid off and began jogging to where I remember seeing the horses. As I reached them, I noticed my horse was missing.

"What the hell?! I was gone for five minutes!" I all but yelled.

"Actually, you were gone for about twenty," Aaron corrected behind me. I groaned.

"Hey, Aaron," Lily said as she got onto her horse. "Why don't you offer Katrina to sit behind you on _your_ horse?"

"W-what?!" he gasped, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"That's a good idea, actually," I remarked, walking around to get to the animal. I climbed onto the saddle and trotted up to Aaron. "Except you'd be the one sitting behind me." Aaron glared at Lily for a second before climbing on behind me, awkwardly wrapping his arms around my waist. I led my squad forward, and we fell into a quick gallop.

"Je te déteste tellement!" Aaron called to Lily. _(I hate you so much!)_

"Vous savez que vous me aimez," she replied smugly. _(You know you love me.)_

After about twenty-five minutes of roaming and killing Titans, I decided the area was clear. I loaded my flare gun and raised it, covering my ear as I pulled the trigger. I watched as yellow smoke shot into the air. Not long after, another flare was sent.

"Should we go now?" Lily asked, facing me. I nodded, pushing my heels into my horse's flank to make it start running. As we headed to the hole in Wall Rose that lead to Wall Maria, I saw Nina's squad a few meters to our right. Nina turned, looking at me, and smirked before galloping faster and passing my squad. I narrowed my eyes.

Finally we rode through the hole and slowed down, seeing everyone standing a few meters ahead of us. I stopped once I reached the crowd. "This is a bigger area, and that means more Titans than we're used to," Isaac was announcing. "So our only goal is to kill as many as we can. We will _not_ head toward the hole, we will try to _not_ bite off more than we can chew, and I don't care what you're doing, but when you see the blue flare then you are to retreat _immediately_ and head back to Rose to get to Sina. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" everyone said simultaneously.

"Then let's get a move on!" And with that, his squad galloped away. The crowd dispersed quickly, and I found myself leading my squad toward two six-meters.

"Lily, Jackie, Emily, go!" I ordered. They shot off their horses and toward the beasts in little time.

"Why couldn't I go?" Aaron asked.

"I want someone to stay with me at all times in case a Titan comes out of nowhere," I answered as I watched Emily give a clean slice to one of the Titans' napes.

"So you want a body guard?"

"No, I want a helper in case the Titan is big or there are two of them."

"Did you see me back there?!" Lily said once she got back on her horse. "Killing Titans is too easy, nowadays."

"Shut up, will you?" Jackie snapped. "You'll jinx it."

"Whatever. You're just jealous that I killed the thing instead of you," she stated cockily.

"At least I have more kills than assists."

"Well, luckily, _I_ don't just suspiciously disappear!"

"Guys!" I barked. "Stop arguing and focus! You're acting very childish!"

"She started it," Lily mumbled.

"Silence!" Suddenly there was a crash and the ground shook. I turned and gasped, seeing a huge crawler following us. Emily screamed as the Titan snapped its jaws, trying to get her. "Keep leading it forward! Don't let your horse's pace falter!" I commanded, flying from my horse and toward a nearby roof. I jumped from the roof and onto the crawler's back. I shot my hooks into it's shoulders and slowly made my way to the nape.

"Katrina! We're running out of road!" Lily yelled. I looked up and saw that we were headed straight for the side of Wall Maria.

"Once you are one meter away from it split up!" I told them, unsheathing my swords.

"What about you?!" Aaron called.

"I got it, don't worry!" As I told them to, my squad split up once they got close enough to the wall. The crawler slammed face-first into the barrier and grew still. I slashed at its nape, then. Once it was dead I leapt off, only to be pulled into a death grip.

"I'll never not worry," I heard Aaron murmur into my hair.

"Katrina, that was so cool!" Lily said, riding up to me. Aaron let go of me as she got off of her horse.

"Thanks. It was kind of fun to ride that thing," I replied.

"It looked like fun. Let me do it next time, okay?"

"Sure."

"Hey, guys? Where's Jackie?" Emily asked.

"Wasn't she with you?" Lily questioned.

"No she was with me," Aaron told her. "But I don't know what happened to her."

"She probably left again."

"Isn't that Jackie's horse?" I wondered out loud, pointing to a crushed horse where the crawler once was. "But...if the horse was crushed then where's her body?"

"I knew she ran off," Lily muttered.

"I'm going to look for her again," I sighed. "And don't bother arguing, Aaron. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I swung from building to building, tower to tower, killing a few Titans along way as I searched for Jackie. Finally I saw her. She was standing on a tall tower, just like last time she went missing. I scaled the structure and walked up to her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face me.

"What the hell are you doing? Why do you keep disappearing?" I demanded. She lifted her flare gun, pointing it at me. I took a step back, eyes widening. "Jackie...can you point the gun elsewhere?"

"Listen to me, Katrina, and listen well," she said, voice low. "What I'm about to is going to change not only your life, but everyone else's, too. What I'm about to do is going to kill nearly everyone on this damn expedition. You know why? Because Wall Naomi is _bad news_, alright?!"

"When did this turn into a Wall Naomi problem?" I asked. "And when did you even hear about it?" She chuckled.

"We all know about Wall Naomi, Katrina," she whispered venomously. "And we are here to stop anyone from going anywhere near it."

"Who's 'we?'"

"You'll see soon enough." Jackie pointed the flare gun upward, covering her ear with her other hand. "I'm sorry," she mouthed, before pulling the trigger and sending a black flare. A moment passed, and there was nothing said between us. Then two strikes of green lightning hit the ground and a loud howl was heard.

I turned to my right and saw none other than the Wolf Titan standing beside a fifteen-meter aberrant. It had a female body structure with light gray, see-through skin, black hair long enough to cover its nape, and glowing red eyes. I could see its skeleton. The aberrant, which I decided to name the Ghost Titan, looked to the Wolf Titan and then pointed at the tower Jackie and I were standing on. The Wolf Titan bared his fangs and then began to run at full speed towards us.

"Good luck, Katrina," Jackie told me before flying from the tower. I shot one more glance toward the Wolf Titan before jumping off of the tower and following her. It didn't take long for me to lose her, though, what with all of her complicated twists, turns, and bluffs. I sighed, deciding to get back to my squad.

My hooks found themselves lodged into a tower as they pulled me along, and then I saw the Wolf Titan lunge itself at that exact tower. I screamed as the momentum of the push dragged me down, throwing me hard against a roof. I groaned, trying to push myself up but failing. I heard a growl and looked up, seeing the Titan and its deadly gaze. I moved my arm toward my gear and grabbed one of the unused blades. The Wolf Titan's ears flattened as he took another step closer to me, baring its fangs. I threw the blade at him with a grunt, and it sank into his left eye. He howled in pain, hands covering face, before running away with a whimper.

I panted, trying to calm my raging heartbeat. I groaned as I forced myself to sit up, wondering how far away I was from my squad. I wasn't too far, and I wondered if calling for them would work. "Aaron!" I called. Silence. I tried again, louder. Still nothing. "Aaron! Emily!" I yelled. "Lily! Help! Anybody?!" I turned to the side and saw a nine-meter and a seven-meter walking towards me. I gasped and tried to move away, but my legs hurt when I moved them. Why weren't they healing?! Don't Titan shifters heal?! Suddenly I remembered something.

"_That would explain why the cut I gave you didn't regenerate, and that scar on your cheek."_

"_Damn. I'm starting to doubt you even have a Titan form."_

"_You're regenerating. It took longer than it would for a normal shifter, though. Peter, take notes."_

"I can't regenerate," I whispered. "Aaron has more of the serum in him, so he can...even though it takes longer." I looked up and saw the nine-meter just staring at me. "Aaron!" I screamed as the Titan began reaching for me.

"What?" a voice asked behind me. I turned and saw him standing there.

"You bastard how long have you been standing there?!" I snarled before the Titan grabbed me. "Oh, shit! _Help!_"

"I gotcha!" He plunged his swords into the Titan's hand. The beast let out a pained roar and immediately let go of me. Aaron caught me with his left arm and put me down gently before reloading his blades, since his old ones were now stuck in a Titan's hand. Lily and Emily then came out of nowhere and killed the nine and six-meter. Aaron knelt beside me and examined my legs. "Can you move them?" he asked.

"Yeah, but they hurt." He nodded, pulling off my boots. When I looked at my legs I saw there was a bump on my left ankle and my right leg, in between my ankle and my knee. Aaron looked at me.

"You remember when Wall Sina was broken and you hurt your ankle?"

"Yeah."

"Remember when Robin snapped it back into place?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, luckily, he taught me how to do it."

"That bastard promised he'd teach _me!_"

"Maybe he forgot which kid he promised. Anyway, did you happen to bring your journal with you?" he asked.

"I don't carry my journal around everywhere, anymore, Aaron. I keep it in my bedroom," I replied. He looked around and then grabbed my left boot. He held the part that covered the knee in front of my face.

"Bite," he ordered. I rolled my eyes and gently bit down onto the leather. I held the boot myself while he felt around my left ankle. "Ready?" I nodded, shutting my eyes. He shifted my bone and I let out a muffled scream. After he fixed my right leg, I immediately spat out the shoe.

"Fuck, that tastes bad," I said, grimacing. Aaron laughed before grabbing the boots and slipping them back onto my feet. He stood and then helped me up. I walked around and my legs were perfectly fine. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Sorry we're late!" Lily panted, landing on the roof with Emily at her side. "There was an aberrant we had to take care of."

"You know what, team?" Emily spoke up, eyes sparkling with something...odd. "I think we should split up. It'd make Titan killing much faster."

"You're insane," Aaron hissed. "That's the absolute worst idea I've heard in my life. You see what happens when we get split up! Katrina nearly gets killed...and I'm not going to live a life without her." I glanced at him.

"That's only when she's by herself! But I'll accompany her and make sure she's out of danger. I promise," Emily argued. Aaron narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists.

"Let's try it," I sighed, putting a hand on Aaron's arm to calm him down. "If it doesn't work out, I'll meet you and Lily at this very spot, okay?" He took a breath and relaxed a bit.

"Fine. But if Emily screws up I'm not going to hesitate chucking her into a Titan's mouth."

"Aaron!"

"I fucking mean it." With one last bone-chilling glare to Emily, Aaron and Lily flew away. I turned to Emily and smiled.

"Don't worry about him. I trust you, Em," I told her.

"That's good. Let's head this way, I don't think we'll run into the Wolf Titan or that other weird Titan."

"I named her the Ghost Titan. Seems fitting, wouldn't you say?"

"I do say. Come on!" We zipped away.

As we flew here and there, we saw very few Titans and many dead bodies. I glanced at Emily and saw her load one of her blades. _One_ of her blades. As I was about to say something she swung her blade in front of me, slicing both of my wires. I screamed as I fell. I ended up landing on the edge of a roof, nearly rolling off. I pushed myself up and got to my feet, surprised that I was okay besides a torn jacket sleeve. I found myself a two feet away from her, staring at her twisted smile. "You see, Katrina," she began, "the day you accused me of hurting Delilah, I knew you would be trouble. Though you are naïve, you are still capable of getting into people's minds and solving the puzzle. And since I just _can't_ let you do that, I must get rid of you." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pocketknife.

"What are you –" I stopped myself, taking a moment to think. "Wait...you did try to kill Delilah!"

"Oh, my! Look at that! She _finally_ figured it out! What took you so long, girlie? Couldn't you see the deranged look in my eyes? Didn't you feel my glares as I watched your every movement and planned your demise? Once you said you trusted me, I knew this would be too easy."

"Why would you injure the Captain?" I demanded, a burning fury swelling inside of me. Emily chuckled, gripping the knife harder.

"We're sisters, Delilah and I," she sighed. "Half-sisters. Different mothers. I was a year older than her, and I took a liking to her as a child. But she was always...better...than I was, what, with her perfect blonde hair and stunning green eyes. I decided that I would join the military, just to get her off of my back. In my second year of training I saw her there. She was so happy to reunite with me...but I was much less than joyful. She was the most popular, of course, and ended up ranking number one in her class. I was number five. Then when she joined the Survey Corps, she ended up stealing Isaac's heart from me. Of course, we weren't lovers, but I've always had a crush on him. Now, that was all fine and dandy, but when she was announced Lance Corporal..." She paused, clenching her teeth and looking down. "I knew it was only because Isaac was in love with her. She wasn't half as skilled as I was. She wasn't half as dependable as I was. She didn't take things seriously. Everything was a big joke to her...and yet _she_ was chosen. I decided to get rid of her, since she was putting such a strain on my life. I waited a year after she became Corporal so it wouldn't seem too suspicious. So I walked into her room with a bottle of whiskey, telling her that I wanted to chat over drinks. The minute the door was shut behind me I hit the bottom half of the bottle against her desk and approached her. She told me to put it down, she said we could talk it out. It was actually quite hilarious how cowardice she was acting. I dug the bottle into the back of her head, throwing her to the floor once the deed was finished. And, being the rational woman I am, I opened the door and screamed to the top of my lungs for help. She forgot all about having a half-sister of any sort, and she lost her sparkly personality. The point is, Katrina, that once Delilah's little treasure is out of the picture she will fall into a state of anguish and become unable to do her job. Eventually she'll lose her place as Captain...or she might even kill herself before that. So stand still and I'll try to make it as painful as possible, okay?" She began walking towards me.

I took a step back, trying to think of a way to get myself out of here. Emily's pupils contracted and her smile widened. "Ooh! A chase? I love a chase!" _Good idea,_ I thought, turning and running to the end of the roof. I jumped to another one and kept running as fast as I could. "Look at you! You're like a rabbit running from a wolf, sweetie! You're rabbit legs will give out eventually!" Emily cackled. I panted, jumping onto the next roof. I saw that the next roof was a longer jump away and cursed under my breath. I picked up the pace. "Come back, rabbit!" she called tauntingly. "You're just wasting precious energy running faster like that! It's not like you're actually going to make that jump!" _Just watch me._ I leapt from the edge of the roof and everything went in slow motion. Only my arms made it onto the next roof, and I gasped as I frantically searched for something to grab before I slipped off. I saw Emily use her ODM gear to get to the other side. She looked down at me with dark eyes and a victorious smile. I ended up having to grab the very ledge of the roof to keep from falling who knows how many feet. She knelt down beside my hands. "Didn't I tell you that you weren't going to make it?" she whispered, running the smooth side of the knife across my fingers. "Silly rabbit. Now you've made this less fun. I actually wanted to stab you continuously in your abdomen until you bled out. Or gouge out your eyes before slicing your scalp clean off. My only option, now, is to either shove this knife into the top of your skull or chop off all of your fingers so you could fall to your death. I like the first one." She raised the knife slowly, savoring the moment. I quickly grabbed one of my blades and pulled it out. As she was about to plunge the knife into my head I lifted my arm and stabbed her in the chest with the blade. Her eyes widened. She slowly dropped the knife as she glanced down at the wound. Emily looked back to me before her eyes fell shut and she fell over. I gasped for air as I grabbed onto her leg for leverage to pull myself up. I knelt next to her and sighed, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. I removed her gear and replaced mine with it. I was about to leave, but I glanced at her and saw her knife. I shrugged and picked it up, slipping it into my pocket.

_**Transition (dude that was looong.)**_

I sat on the roof that I had said my squad would meet at boredly. I closed my eyes and listened to the distant sound of destruction, probably caused by the Wolf and or Ghost Titan. Suddenly I heard the sound of ODM and I looked up and saw Aaron and Lily flying towards me. I smiled and stood. Aaron landed with a thump and immediately pulled me into his arms. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Aaron," I sighed, pulling myself from his grasp.

"Where's Emily? Did she get eaten?" Lily asked, sheathing her blades.

"I...killed her," I answered solemnly. The siblings gasped. "She tried to kill me first, though."

"Why?" Aaron snarled.

"It's a long story."

"We've got time." So I told them everything that happened, down to the unimportant details. "Damn..." he breathed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Delilah had a good personality...who would've guessed?" I shot him a glare.

"What a psycho," Lily commented. "She treated you like prey! And the ways she wanted to kill you were disgusting."

"Did you take the pocketknife?"

"Sure did," I replied, taking it out of my pocket. "It's a pretty one. The handle is engraved with swirls and whatnot."

"Looks like expensive wood, too," Lily observed as she eyed it. I put it back into my jacket pocket and looked at what remained of my squad.

"Okay, guys," I began, "we need a plan. What are we going to do while we wait for the expedition to end?"

"We could go after the Wolf Titan?" Aaron suggested.

"Or we could continue going after regular Titans that have a less chance of killing us?" Lily said, rolling her eyes at her brother.

"I agree with Aaron," I decided, getting a surprised look from Lily.

"What?! We're going to get slaughtered!"

"No we're not, as long as we use his Titan." I looked at him. "Right, Aaron?" He smiled.

"Y-yeah." Lily groaned.

"Alright, fine. But I think this is sort of irrational."

"That's why you're not squad leader," I teased with a grin. "Let's go!"

We flew to where I had heard the devastation and landed on a tower. I saw the Wolf Titan knocking over countless tall buildings and towers as soldiers tried to kill him. Every single one that would get close to his nape, though, would end up being swatted away or eaten. "My God..." I gasped. "He eats humans?"

"Isn't that what Titans do?" Lily asked.

"B-but he's a shifter!" I retorted, "That's cannibalism!"

"That bastard," Aaron muttered, leaping from the tower and zipping away.

"Wait! Aaron!" I called, following after him. I heard Lily right behind me. He flung himself into the air and lifted his hand to his mouth. A flash of green blinded me for a millisecond. I landed on a rooftop once my vision returned to normal and watched as Aaron roared at the Wolf Titan. His eyes were a bloody red this time. The Wolf Titan snarled, taking a step toward him. Aaron's skin turned a shade darker as he roared once more, louder. I wondered what that was for, or what it did.

_**Transition** Aaron's POV_

I tried to say something to the Wolf Titan but I couldn't form the words. I decided to give up on it and just attack. I charged at him and pulled my arm back. He growled and slashed his claws down my chest. I barely felt a thing. As I thrust my fist forward he caught my wrist, sinking his claws into my it. I reached to his face and grabbed his bottom jaw. His eyes narrowed as he bit down on my fingers. I snorted and used all of my strength to pull my hand away. I did, and brought his jaw with me.

He let go of my wrist and let out a deafening cry. I threw the jaw over my shoulder and tackled the Titan to the ground. I sank my teeth into his left ear and yanked, ripping the appendage clean off. He whimpered. I stood, keeping him down with my foot. I then began stomping on his stomach over and over and over, until I felt a satisfying mush under my foot. Suddenly there was a fist to my face and, next thing I knew, I was sitting upon a house or two with a jaw that dangled form my face. I looked up and saw a female Titan, her red eyes boring into my soul.

She grabbed me by my hair and lifted me to her level. I growled, preparing to hit her. Before I could do that, though, I was thrown into a tower. That bitch was strong. I got to my feet in a daze. Then I felt a kick to my back and heard a snap. I fell forward, again, and tried to get up. But I couldn't move. Had that she-Titan broken my spine?! I felt her run a finger over my nape before feeling a dull fingernail sink into it. Suddenly the Titan fell onto my back. I tried to move again but blacked out before I could see if I was still paralyzed or not.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

I stood behind the Ghost Titan's nape as I waited to see who would emerge from it. I had killed her before she could kill Aaron, and Lily killed the Wolf Titan.

"Katrina!" Lily called. "It's Edgar!" I turned to see her dragging an unconscious Edgar from the flesh. I frowned. Nina was behind this. I faced forward and saw none other than Luna sticking out of the Titan's nape. Seconds after, her Titan completely disintegrated into a large puff of steam. I removed my jacket and tightly tied her wrists behind her back, just in case she got the idea to make a move when she awoke. I saw Lily copy me out of the corner of my eye.

I walked up Aaron's back and saw he was sticking out of his nape, as well. I yanked him out and pulled his eyelids apart gently. His eyes were black. I assumed that was the color they turned post-transformation. I heard a shuffle behind me and realized that Luna must have been conscious. I then heard a clank. My eyes widened. I had left my pocketknife in my jacket.

I turned and saw Luna standing there, a torn jacket laying at her feet and a pocketknife in her right hand. Her cold, soulless eyes seemed to peer into the very depths of my soul as she stared into mine. I breathed, the suspense keeping me glued to my spot. She twirled the knife in her hands and reached into her back pocket. She pulled out another knife. "That's not fair!" I gasped. She smirked, gripping the handles tightly.

"Life's not fair," she replied. She then began to run towards me. Before I could do anything I was pulled back and Aaron charged at Luna.

"Aaron, no!" I cried. He kicked one of the knives from her hand and it flew into the air. He jumped and caught it. Once he landed Luna shoved the knife into his shoulder. He yelped and then stuck his knife into the junction between Luna's neck and shoulder. Her eyes widened as blood spurted from the wound. Aaron shoved her, making her fall back, and pulled the blade from his shoulder. He turned and I jumped at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face into his chest. "You idiotic bastard!" I hissed.

"But I'm your idiotic bastard," he replied with a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You could have gotten killed!"

"I would have died happy, knowing I was protecting you."

"Shut the fuck up."

"No."

"Okay, this is nice and all," Lily interrupted, "but Jackie's about to send another flare." I gasped and pulled myself from Aaron's grip. I looked up and saw Jackie standing on the only remaining tower. We made eye contact as she pulled the trigger. Red smoke appeared in the sky. I flipped her off as two more strikes of green lightning appeared.

_**To be continued...**_

**This is literally the longest chapter I have ever typed for anything. 7015 words (including these words.) Damn. 20 pages on LibreOffice. Damn. Oh and FYI Delilah is lesbian. You can probably see where this is going to go, now. You're welcome.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Reviews: narbwhal (Don't kill people, I don't want to be held responsible for a mass murder ;-;. I get what you're saying about the details but idk I wanted to make the chapter shorter so I guessed I rushed myself and made the imagery less powerful or something. I honestly think that I didn't make the trio freaked out about Emily because either I was lazy and just overlooked that or because they've already been through so much that it's not too big of a deal for them...it's probably the first one, though. Lol what's a narbwhal?)**

_**Previously, on Finding the Fourth Wall,**_

"You idiotic bastard!"

"But I'm your idiotic bastard."

"You could have gotten killed!"

"I would have died happy, knowing I was protecting you."

"Shut the fuck up."

"No."

"Okay, this is nice and all, but Jackie's about to send another flare."

_Cue two strikes of lightning._

_**Now...**_

I looked to my right and my breath caught in my throat. I saw the Rock Titan, facing away from me. I saw that his nape was skin colored, and less cracked than the rest of his skin. He also had black hair. Beside him, cracking its knuckles, was yet another fifteen-meter Titan with a female body structure. She had short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She made eye contact with me and her pupils dilated. That was Nina. I ground my teeth, grabbing my swords. "I'm going after Jackie. Don't follow me," I told Aaron before shooting my hooks into a building and flying away. I saw her flee from the tower she was standing upon.

I pursued her, keeping up with every twist and turn. I had an idea, and shot one of my hooks in the direction of her leg. The hook sank into her leg and dragged her in my direction. She yelled and slammed into me. I wrapped an arm around her, caging her arms, and swiftly made my way to a roof. I yanked the hook from her leg, causing her to yelp, and threw her off of the roof. She landed with a grunt and sat up as I leapt down and stood in front of her. I glanced to her wound and saw steam rising from it. I then looked at her. "You, too?"

"Of course! Nina wouldn't have added me to her team if I wasn't one," she spat.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked coldly. "You're better than this."

"It's a little too late for a lecture, you know." Jackie rolled her eyes. "I bet almost everyone's dead by now, knowing how vicious Nina can get."

"And who's the Rock Titan?"

"Ben." She said his name with a hint of favor.

"That bastard..."

"It's not like he wanted to do it," she muttered. "He was instructed to." I held back a laugh.

"Instructed. What a nice way to put it. Sounds to me like he was forced."

"What are you waiting for?" she hissed. "Aren't you going to kill me or something? Why else would you just keep me here?!"

"I'm not really keeping you here. You could get up and leave any time you like."

"Oh, please. You'd just shoot my leg again to pull me back."

"Fine. Be that way. I'm keeping you here so you can help me understand why this is all happening," I explained. She narrowed her eyes.

"It's not my place to say. Nina can give you a better explanation than I ever could. You might as well kill me off, keep me from getting in your way anymore." I sighed, holding my hand out to her. She looked at it strangely. "What?"

"I'm helping you up," I said. "Take it or leave it." She grabbed my hand and pulled herself up.

"Why? Don't you hate me?"

"You didn't cause this chaos. Nina did. Want to help me kill her?" I asked with a smirk. Jackie grinned.

"Hell yeah."

We flew to where I last saw Nina. I gasped, seeing not one...but _five_ Ninas. One was idly standing beside the wall, while the other four were doing anything but. The four had light green eyes and slit, red pupils.

"What the hell?!"

"That's her ability," Jackie told me. "She can produce clones. Four at a time. Thirty minute cool down."

"That's cheating!" I spat.

"It's a bunch of bullshit, I agree." I groaned, shooting my hooks into one of the clones' arms. As I flew around her head she tried to grab me, but she was so desperate to get me that she continuously missed. I flew down at full speed toward her nape and sliced into it, blood splashing half of my face. The clone disappeared into a puff of light green smoke almost instantly, and I landed on a rooftop.

I watched as Jackie killed another clone. A scream was heard and I looked to my right, seeing one of the clones throwing two girls into its mouth. It chewed them up, blood spilling from its mouth, before swallowing contently. The clone licked her lips and began running to a handful of soldiers. I narrowed my eyes and began flying towards it. I latched myself onto its nape. It turned its head as far as it would go and snapped its jaws. I cut its nape and jumped off. Then I heard a crash and a few screams. I exchanged glances with Jackie before zipping toward where I heard the noise.

I saw a clone kicking and slapping soldiers away. She was moving gracefully, and not missing a single beat. When someone tried to outsmart her and get to her nape, she would turn quickly and catch them in between her jaws. When she spotted me she narrowed her eyes and began walking toward me. I landed on a roof, standing still as she approached me. She reached out to grab me, not noticing a figure flying past her face to get to her neck. She suddenly whipped her head around and caught the figure in between her jaws. It was Jackie.

"No!" I screamed. Nina bit down, cutting Jackie in half. Her upper torso and head landed beside me. My breath caught in my throat. A few seconds later, the Titan was nothing but a puff of green smoke. I heard a screech, and I knew the original Nina was acting up.

The remaining soldiers and I flew to where we last witnessed her and saw that she was still in the same place, beside the wall. My hooks sank themselves into her face and I made my way to her, only to be slapped away. I landed on a roof and slid, the tiles cutting my face, hands, shirt, and pants. I laid there, feeling the blood seep from my face and hands. Nothing was broken. I wasn't paralyzed. But for some reason...I couldn't move. Was it fear? Disappointment? Shock? Whatever it was, it took over me and kept me still. I heard someone land onto the roof and run to me. By the urgency in the footsteps I knew it was Aaron. He knelt in front of me.

"Katrina? Katrina, are you okay?!" he asked, pushing some hair from my face. I looked at him, only the right side of my face visible. "Katrina, talk to me!" he demanded, eyes watering and turning green. I moved my lips, trying to form words, but all I could give was an exhale. He covered his face with his hands, fingers parted to keep his line of vision undisturbed, as tears began streaming down his cheeks. "Come on! Say something! We all need you out there! The Titan is too strong, and people are dying fast! We need you, Kat! I...I need you..." I blinked, processing his words.

"A...Aaron..." I whispered, voice raspy. He gasped, looking into my eyes. "Is my...face...t-torn up...?" I asked.

"Let's see," he responded, lifting my head gently. "Not too badly. A few gashes here and there but nothing that should scar." I coughed. He helped me to sit back on my knees, eyes turning back to normal, before he began cleaning my wounds. He licked his thumb and rubbed a few scars on my face, then he dabbed at them with his jacket. I looked down and saw my sleeves and parts of my shirt and pants were ripped.

"I look like a mess," I groaned.

"Still a hot mess."

"What?"

"What?" I narrowed my eyes as Aaron continued his work. He licked his thumb once more and looked around my face for another wound. His eyes landed on my mouth. He shifted uncomfortably and ran his thumb over my bottom lip once, twice, three times. His face was so close to mine I could feel his breath on my lips. As he dabbed it dry, our eyes met. A light blush coated his cheeks. A moment passed before he leaned closer to me and pressed his lips against mine. We sat like that for a few seconds, kissing, before I pulled away.

"Aaron..." I murmured.

"Hm?"

"I...I don't–" A weak roar and a loud thump interrupted me. I turned around, seeing Nina's Titan, which I officially named the Clone Titan, laying motionless on the ground. I wondered who killed her. "We did it!" I gasped, pushing myself to my feet and watching someone pull Nina's body from her Titan. "We beat her!" I heard Aaron stand up. "Let's go check it out!"

"Wait, Kat," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face him. "What were you saying?"

"I don't feel that way about you, Aaron," I told him. "Sorry, but I'm kind of into somebody else."

"Who?" he asked. I smiled softly.

"...Someone." And with that, I ran to the ledge of the roof and jumped off, flying away on my 3DMG.

I landed on the ground where everyone was surrounding Nina. She was awake and kneeling, staring at the ground. I pushed past some people and made my way to her. I knelt in front of her and stared at her face. "Nina." She ignored me. "You didn't really think you'd get away with this, did you?" I asked. She hesitantly lifted her head and glared at me.

"The royal family in Wall Naomi executed every Titan-shifter that lived within the wall. It was a massacre. Only my friends and I escaped...that's why we're here."

"There's human life in Wall Naomi? How many were killed?"

"...One hundred? One-fifty? I don't know, I was six. I knew that the serum was still being actively used within the main three walls, so I decided to join the army and make sure that no one tried to discover the hidden hell," she explained, exhausted.

"They wouldn't figure me out, anyway," I told her. "I don't regenerate. The only proof of my abilities is my form."

"Yeah? Just wait. When you're there, you'll transform accidentally and get hanged or beheaded." Two bodies were thrown beside Nina and I, causing the crowd to back up. It was Benjamin and Edgar, their wrists tied behind their backs with jackets.

"Hey, look at that, Kat!" Lily called from a roof right above us. "Your ex is a shifter! And, even better, _he's_ the one who broke Wall Sina and ruined everyone's lives!" I stared at him as he struggled to free his hands.

"Was that a part of your plan, Nina?" I asked.

"Well, I had to occupy the soldiers, didn't I?" she retorted. "Just to be safe."

"Where's Scott?"

"Damn idiot got crushed by Luna when she was attacking your brother." I sighed, standing up and looking around.

"Does anyone know where Commander Isaac is?"

"Eaten."

"Crushed."

"Dead."

"Missing." People were throwing assumptions here and there, so I just figured that he was unable to lead us. I decided took the role of leader.

"Alright!" I boomed. "We should get out of here before any more casualties take place." I loaded my flare gun and raised it, shooting a blue flare in case there were any people that weren't with me at the moment.

"How will we get back?!" someone asked obnoxiously. "None of us have horses!" I got an idea. I ran from the middle of the crowd and kept running until I was a few meters from everyone. I then bit my thumb and blacked out.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was ten times taller than everyone else. Then I realized I was in my Titan form. I bent over and laid my hands on the ground, hoping the crowd would walk onto my hands so I could carry them back. They did just that, with a little persuasion from Aaron.

_**Transition**_

Once we reached the gate I put everyone back onto the ground before blacking out again. When I woke up we were back at the castle. I was laying in my bed. I wondered how long I've been out. I sat up and got out of bed. I walked to the door and opened it, stepping out. I made my way to the corner where the staircase was located and bumped into Delilah. I gasped, taking a step back.

"S-sorry, sir!" I said quickly. She smiled.

"It was an accident, no need to apologize."

"Um, sir? Since Commander Isaac is...gone...does that mean that you're the Commander now?" Something flashed in her eyes before she nodded.

"Yep. And I have yet to choose a new Corporal."

"Oh. Well, you do have any ideas?" She crossed her arms, looking away in thought.

"I do. She has brown hair, gorgeous eyes, a stunning figure, a great ass, she's short, and has a cute squeaky voice that I can't get enough of," Delilah said, looking at me expectantly. I raised my eyebrow.

"Who is it?" She rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"It's you, dumb ass."

"Oh!" I gasped, running her description through my mind once more. "My voice isn't squeaky."

"Fine, its high-pitched." I then thought about what she said again and blushed.

"Y-you think all that about me...?"

"And more." I looked away, embarrassed. "So, Katrina," she began, putting her hands on her hips, "do you accept the responsibilities of being the Lance Corporal?" She then held her hand out. "And of being my girlfriend?" My face turned a darker shade of red. Slowly, I put my hand in hers and looked into her eyes.

"Yes...and yes." She then wrapped her free arm around my waist and pulled me closer, closing the gap between us by kissing me. I blushed harder, if that was even possible, and wrapped my free arm around her neck.

_**Transition (HOW CUTE! -FANGIRLING- WHO KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN?! IF YOU DID THEN BITCH U GUESSED IT! HWAH! U WAS RIGHT!) **{Three months later}_

Since the last expedition, so much has changed. Under Delilah's leadership, things have been getting done quicker and more efficiently. While she's known as the ball buster, I'm the more compassionate one that offers help and gives people breaks. It's a fun game of good-cop-bad-cop.

Due to word spreading about Delilah's and my relationship, Aaron has given her countless "talks" on how to care for me. Usually she kicks him out before he's even finished with the second sentence, claiming that she can keep me happy without his help.

Nina, Benjamin, and Edgar were kept in the dungeon until the day they were hanged for their crimes. I had tried to find out more about Wall Naomi from them, but the trio wouldn't talk. The entire Scouting Legion is traveling to the Wall tomorrow, anyway, so it's not that big of a deal.

I was sitting in my bed, looking at my pendant. It had my mother's first name engraved on the back, but it didn't look right. There was a knock at my door, followed by a voice calling my name. "Come in," I said, eyes locked on the inscription. The door opened and closed.

"What'cha got there?" Delilah's voice asked. I flickered my gaze from her to my necklace to show I acknowledged her presence.

"Pendant."

"How descriptive. Scoot over." I did so, and she sat next to me. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing...the inscription is funny, though," I answered, running my thumb over it. Every letter except for _U_ had some sort of line running through it. In between the top lines of the _Y_, there was an extra line. In between the top lines of the _K_, there was another extra line. And on either side of the _A_, there was a line. "It's supposed to spell Yuka, I'd assume, but there are extra lines." I showed her.

"Strange. Maybe it's a code for something?"

"Maybe. I had a dream about my mother giving me this. She told me it could get me places."

"Perhaps she was talking about Wall Naomi?" Delilah suggested. I looked at her.

"I doubt it. She's never even been there," I argued. She hummed, looking back to the necklace.

"Wait a minute..." Delilah grabbed it from my hands and stared close it at it. She covered the outer lines of the top of the _Y _with her thumbs. "That looks like a lower-case _L_."

"Your point?"

"Hush," she snapped. She then covered the vertical line of the _K_. "_E_. Unless you cover the middle line, then it would be a _C_. And the _A _just looks like a messed up _H_."

"Once again, your point?" I said. She tossed the pendant back into my lap.

"Fuck, I don't know. I thought I was onto something." I giggled.

"That's okay. It's late, anyway. We should get to sleep." I slid the necklace onto my neck and looked at her. She blinked, not moving from her spot. "Aren't you going to your room?" I asked softly.

"We've been dating for three months. I think I can spend the night in your bed once in a while," she replied, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "I promise I won't molest you in my sleep."

"You're making this situation worse." She laughed.

_**Transition **{Next Day} Autumn's POV_

I walked along the top of the wall, passing soldiers watching out for any trespassers. We had a few back when Wall Maria was broken, but since then it has been clear. I still order my guards to keep an eye out, though.

"Princess!" I heard behind me. I turned, seeing a guard with a telescope in his hand looking at me.

"Yes?" I asked, subtle annoyance laced within my voice. Nearly all of my subjects knew I despised being referred to as that girly word.

"I've spotted some newcomers!" he told me. "Dozens of them!" My eye twitched.

"What?!" I hissed, stomping my way toward him and snatching the telescope from his hands. I looked through it and gasped, seeing exactly what he had described. They appeared to be a military regiment. I ground my teeth, shoving the telescope into the guard's chest. Once he grabbed it, I turned around and walked toward the ledge of the wall.

"Where are you going?" another guard asked.

"I'm going to greet the newcomers," I replied sourly. I leapt from the ledge and shot the hooks from my ODM gear into the side of the wall. I swung forward, then my hooks lodged themselves into a tower. I eventually made my way to the castle. I ran to the stables. "Kaya!" I called. A pale gray horse galloped to me. I jumped onto her back, grabbed her reins, and dug my heels into her sides. As I got closer and closer to the gate, I tried to regain my composure. I wouldn't dare let some original-Wall trash see me in an unprofessional manner.

"Freckles!" I heard above me. I looked up and saw my favorite asshole flying above me with his ODM. "Where are you going?" I rolled my eyes.

"Get out of here, Ash!" I snapped at him. "I've spotted some intruders from the top of the Wall and I must encounter them!"

"You're talking about them like they're animals."

"They are."

"Why can't I come?"

"You'll just ruin my first impression with that big mouth of yours! Now shoo!" He did so.

Once I was about a meter from the gate I yanked at Kaya's reins to slow her down. "Open the gate!" I ordered. It slowly rose. I walked through it before it was completely opened and stood in front of it, watching as the unit came closer to me. Three meters away, a woman on a black horse halted her squad before riding toward me herself, accompanied by another woman on a white horse.

_**Transition** Katrina's POV_

Delilah and I stopped in front of the girl. She looked around the age of eighteen, maybe twenty. She had long orange hair tied into a braid, turquoise eyes, and countless freckles resting upon her cheeks and nose. She was wearing a purple, short sleeve shirt, black pants, and, surprisingly, 3DMG gear. I assumed she was a royal of some sort, seeing as she wore a golden diadem.

_**Lol, don't know what a diadem is? Look it up. Don't expect me to tell you. BTW Kaya is pronounced kigh-yah. Kind of like pie-ya...but not. THISDOESNOTCOUNTASATRANSITION.**_

"Who are you, and how did you find this place?" the girl asked.

"We are the Scouting Legion from Wall Sina. I am Commander Delilah Vel, but you may refer to me by name. At my side is the Lance Corporal, Katrina Ayumi. You may also refer to her by name. We heard of this place from Katrina's mother's journal, which she has with her –"

"Let me see it," she snapped, glaring at me. Delilah narrowed her eyes. I reached into a pouch hanging from my horse's saddle and pulled the book out. I handed it to her. She snatched the journal from my hands and opened it, flipping through the pages.

"In the back," I told her. She made her way to said section and finally found what she was looking for. She scanned the page, eyes widening with every second. She shut the book and stared at the cover. She then glared at me for a moment before her eyes fell on my pendant.

"...May I see that necklace?"

"Sure," I said before slipping it from my neck and handing it to her. The girl ran a thumb over the inscription before looking back at me.

"Your mother's name isn't Yuka," she murmured. "It's Leah. Yuka was just a cover up."

"Huh? What for?" I asked.

"How do you know about this?" Delilah interrupted. She tossed the pendant back to me and I caught it.

"Autumn," she said. "My name is Autumn. I'm the princess of Wall Naomi. Come. I will take you to see my parents. They will explain everything."

_***Almost ends chapter here but doesn't because I'm nice &amp; have nothing better to do* Transition (Leah is pronounced lay-uh.)**_

As Delilah and I were led by the princess through the town, we received several dirty glares and a few harsh words.

"Outer-Wall scum!"

"Filthy rogues!"

"Ignorant pigs!"

"Do they think we're the Military Police or something?" I murmured to Delilah. She chuckled.

"I suppose so." We had left the rest of the soldiers under a few of the guards' watch inside of the wall, at the gate

"Autumn!" a man ran toward her horse, turning to walk beside it. "What's going on? Why are you walking in the direction of the castle?"

"I'm taking them to my parents," she replied.

"Why bother? They might be trying to get to your parents to kill them or something!" Delilah rolled her eyes.

"What do these people think we're like?" she muttered to herself.

"The brunette is Leah's daughter and blondie's the Commander, so I thought it'd be somewhat necessary to bring her along. Besides, there's only two of them," Autumn explained to him. "I'm taking them to my parents so they can explain why Leah needed a fake name, and why she was sent away."

"I don't trust them," Ash hissed. "You know Leah was. She might have turned her kid into one of those mutants."

"Possibly, but we've got no proof. One way or another, it's my parents' decision if they can stay or not. If we're lucky, they'll be smart enough to understand that these rats need to leave."

"It's cute how you two think we aren't listening, or that we can't hear you," Delilah sighed.

"Oh, I'm completely aware that you can hear us. I was just assuming you had the attention span of a fish," Autumn retorted snottily. The blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Don't let her get to you," I whispered to her. "She, just like the rest of the inhabitants here, thinks that those from the outer Walls are imbecilic and stubborn and a bunch of other bad things. Why? Maybe because the man who thought of Wall Naomi was ridiculed, so that led the people here to think that we're all like that...ignorant and selfish. But once we get to the king and queen, they will see our kind nature and realize that we're not all terrible. So try to put up with the princess for a bit longer, please." She rolled her eyes with a smile and patted my head.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try to refrain from ripping her face off."

Eventually we made it to a large castle, almost the size of the Scouting Legion's. Autumn got off of her horse and snapped her fingers, grabbing the attention of the four guards standing around the main entrance. "You," she said, pointing at the rightmost one, "take the horses to the stables or the pasture." Delilah and I dismounted our horses and watched as the man led them away by their reins. Another snap was heard and I turned my head, seeing the princess standing at the doors and glaring at us with exasperation. "Are you coming or not?" We hastily made our way to the large double doors and stood behind her as she shoved them open. "Mother, Father!" she called, her voice echoing off the walls. The doors slammed shut behind us, causing me to jump. Delilah chuckled at my actions and I pouted at her.

"Yes, darling?" a woman's voice said from the top of a staircase on the side of the room. Autumn turned toward said staircase and crossed her arms as her parents arrived at the bottom. The queen had blonde hair, braided and tied into a low bun, and blue eyes. The king had brown hair, green eyes, and a small mustache. Autumn stuck out her arm and held it in front of Delilah and me.

"This is Commander Delilah and Captain Katrina. They are from the Survey Corps from the outside Walls." The two gasped and stared at us with utter surprise. "The brunette is Leah's daughter," Autumn added. "But she had no idea of her mother's true identity, nor of her mother's mission." The queen then narrowed her eyes at me. She walked toward me and grabbed my wrist, pushing my sleeve up to unveil my arm. She ran a thumb over my injection scar. She then looked at me with a glare of disgust.

"Why did you come here?" she hissed, tightening her grip on my wrist.

"We are here to escape the dangers of the original three Walls," I replied. The queen scoffed.

"Dangers? What, have they been knocked down already?"

"All three have been knocked down. One has been fixed, and another is in the process of being fixed. But it shouldn't take that long for the walls to be infiltrated once more, in my opinion. We are not asking to have every human being from the Walls stay here. We are asking to have only those from the Scouting Legion stay here," I explained. She released my wrist and took a step back. As she was about to speak, Autumn cleared her throat.

"If you let them stay, then they will attract more outsiders. The wall will become overpopulated," she said.

"The cowards back home wouldn't dare set foot outside of Sina. They're not coming over here any time soon," Delilah argued, crossing her arms. The princess shot her a glare.

"Arguing with the princess is not tolerated here."

"I wasn't arguing, freckles. I was informing." I hit her shoulder lightly and frowned. She ignored me.

Before the princess could say something she was interrupted. "Autumn, your opinion isn't needed here," the king said. She gasped, turning to face him.

"But–"

"Leave," the queen said bluntly. Autumn narrowed her eyes and, without another word, walked to the doors. Once they slammed shut, the king walked up to us and held out his hand.

"My name is Lukas, and my wife is Amanda. I apologize for my daughter's behavior."

Delilah shook his hand. "We're unfamiliar and unpredictable. I understand her reasoning," she told him.

"Let's discuss somewhere more private, shall we?" Lukas offered.

"Of course."

**Stop yelling at me for posting this late. I had some intense writer's block, have some sympathy. Thanks to those who waited two months for this chapter, I love you all!**


	20. Chapter 19

Delilah and I sat at a desk in an office, which was one of the topmost rooms in the castle. There was a large window to our right, giving us the ability to gaze upon the land. The king and queen sat across from us.

"Leah was my older sister," Lukas began, "and was supposed to be queen. But she had no interest in the idea of royalty, so my parents gave her the job of traveling to the three Walls to live there and collect data. Data for what? I have no clue. So, at age sixteen, she left. At that time, the serum to turn you into a Titan-shifter was quite popular. Almost everyone had it in their system. That was how Leah traveled to the Walls, by using her Titan form. About fifteen years, give or take, after she had left, a Titan attempted to smash Wall Naomi. It was killed, and identified as a Titan-shifter. I was ruler at that time, so I decided to execute any and all Titan-shifters within the Wall. I'm just grateful that Leah never came back. Anyway, the journal you have should be the source of the data your mother was meant to collect. So, may I look at it?" I glanced at the book in my hands and then handed it to him.

"It's nothing but entries about her life. I didn't find any data of sorts when I read it through," I told him. He slowly flipped through the pages.

"The entries are out of order," he observed. _That would explain a lot,_ I thought. Once he reached the last page with the strange message on it he stopped to read it. "This one was probably due to her psychological disorder...or did she know any suspicious women?"

"Disorder?" I asked.

"Yes. There's no real name for it, since she's the first case doctors have seen, but they had confirmed that her brain functioned abnormally."

"Well, it must be the disorder, because I don't remember my mother being acquainted with anyone who could be described like that." The king sighed and placed the book down on the desk.

"It's in some sort of code, I know it is," he said. "She had a tendency to write in a way that only she could understand. I will have it examined; but until then, you and the rest of the Survey Corps may stay in Wall Naomi." Amanda gasped.

"What?! But she's a monster!" she accused, pointing at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't be absurd, darling," Lukas snapped, rubbing his temples with a hand. "She has a scar on her cheek. Those monsters don't have scars."

"I still think you are making a wrong decision."

"Please excuse us for a moment, Commander."

"Of course," Delilah replied, getting out of her chair. She grabbed my arm, yanking me from my seat, and dragged me out of the room. Once the door shut behind us I could hear muffled voices.

"I know you're going to say something about the queen being a pompous bitch or something, just because she insulted me, so don't," I told her.

"...She's also a pompous bitch because she doesn't want us to stay," Delilah muttered. "It's not like we can just go back."

"I know." The door then opened and the queen walked out. She gave us a curt nod.

"You may stay," she said.

_**Transition**_

It has been three years since the day we came to Wall Naomi. There were actually two secret messages inside my mother's journal. Each were quite unsettling. The first one was, "Stupid parents. They think sending me away will fix my brain. I wonder what lie they'll tell Luke about my departure." The second one was, "I can't take this anymore. My other self is too much to withstand. She is too strong, too evil! I fear that she will awaken at the worst of moments and hurt my beloved children or husband. I must rid myself off the face of the earth. It is the only way she will be defeated. I know it is selfish, but I need the pain to end! I can only hope that Christopher and the kids will understand." It must have been about her disease, which I personally refer to as "Dissociative Identity Disorder," or "Multiple Personality Disorder," since it seems as if there are two of her within one body.

Delilah and I are happily married. We live together in a quaint, little house not far from the castle. The rest of the Scouting Regiment have moved on and begun to live their own lives. In fact, I rarely see Aaron anymore. But, no bother. I'm happy in my new life here, in Wall Naomi. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

**Sorry this is so short, my brain can't make ideas fast enough. This story isn't done yet, so don't be too sad. Also, if I somehow offended anyone with DID, I'm sorry.**


	21. Epilogue

_**Robin's POV**_

I sighed, looking out the window and at the bright night sky. "Robin?" I heard Stephanie say. I turned, seeing her in the doorway to our bedroom. "Are you thinking about them again?" I turned back to the window.

"Yeah. It's been six years, maybe more. I wonder what they look like now," I replied. "If they're even still alive." Footsteps began to approach me. They stopped, and I felt my wife's arms around my neck.

"Of course they are," she told me. "Katrina's a strong, stubborn young woman. And Felix is a strong, stubborn young man. As long as they stick together, then everything will be okay for them. I know it will." I didn't respond. A moment passed, and I chuckled.

"Do you think they made it to Wall Naomi?" I asked.

"I doubt it even exists. But if it does, then they probably did make it."

End.

**Thanks to everyone who supported and reviewed my story! I appreciate it greatly. I'm sad to see this story end, but every good thing can't go on forever. Just kidding, this story wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but whatever. I tried.**


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